Wanderer's of the Wasteland
by MortaniusTDG
Summary: Albert has been told his entire life that the outside world is impossible to live in. yet he still dreams of one day being able to step outside the confines of vault 101 and see for himself how true that is. dreams become reality when his father leaves and he his forced out not long after. please rate and comment. and share if you think it's good enough. thanks!
1. Chapter 1 Birthday Surprises

"Surprise!"

Blinking out the tears in his eyes caused by the sudden bright light. Albert looked around the cafeteria and smiled at all the people that showed up to his tenth birthday.

"Stanley you turned on the lights too quickly, you blinded the poor kid!" Officer Gomez said.

"I'm fine Mr. Gomez, thank you for coming!" Albert said

"It's no problem, thank you for helping Freddie with his homework. With you Freddie manages a B solid with Mr. Brotch."

Albert glanced at Freddie Gomez who looked sheepishly away. Wally Mack and Butch Deloria sneered at Albert before whispering something to Freddie. Probably insulting no doubt.

"Happy birthday son. I can't believe your already ten, I'm so proud of you." his dad James said. "Your mother would be so-"

"Yes ten is a remarkable achievement." the overseer interrupted. "Of course that means you're ready to take on your first true Vault responsibilities."

"I already do, just ask Stanley." Albert said.

"Well now they'll count." the overseer retorted. Handing him the pip-boy 3000. "With your first Pip boy, you truly will become a productive citizen of Vault 101."

Taking the pip-boy and putting it on with no trouble whatsoever, he saw the overseers' eyebrow rise in surprise. "I take it you've worn that before?"  
"I told you, I work with Stanley and he's been showing me some of the technical workings of the pip-boy. I figured I'd look into it before I got it."

Albert saw the Overseer scowl at that. "Well enjoy your party." he said shortly before sitting down.

"Yes you should enjoy your birthday." James said. "Your only ten once, so don't waste it."

"Thanks dad." Albert said though he wasn't sure if he would enjoy it after that frosty encounter with the Overseer.

"Happy Birthday Albert." Amata said to him, and the joy of the party started to come back to him. Amata was only a few weeks younger than him, and the only true friend that was around his age. He preferred the company of people older than him such as Stanley or Officer Gomez, even Jonas, his father's assistant was much better company then most of the other kids. Yet Amata was both younger, and smarter than all of the others, and they both shared something that few could understand, they both didn't have a mother helping raise them.

"You threw this all together for me?" Albert asked.

"Yep! And you didn't even suspect did you?" Amata smiled.

"No I suspected." he said. although in truth he knew about the party long before the day came. It wasn't hard to hear something like this when stuck in an underground Vault.

"Oh really? Then what did I get you for a present?"

"Uh..." That he didn't know. "I like surprises so I figured I wouldn't find out!"

"Liar!" She smiled and handed out the magazine. His heart jumped! "Grognak the Barbarian, issue #14: _Lair of the Virgin Eater_!"

"Awesome!" he shouted. He'd been trying to read this one for several months now. He'd enjoy it. Though he hoped it didn't end on a cliffhanger, like issue #10. He only found out how that one ended after five months of waiting, and a lot of doing Freddie's homework for him.

"Come over here young deary." Old lady Palmer beckoned. "Now close your eyes and hold out your hands."

Stuffing the comic in his jumpsuit he did as he was told and felt something soft and fairly warm put into his hands. Opening his eyes, he saw a sweet-roll, something that immediately made his mouth water.

"Happy birthday Al," she said, her wrinkled face breaking into a large smile. "Jonas told me how much you loved these when he brought one with him to work."

"Thanks Lady Palmer." Albert said sheepishly. In truth, he had found it sitting on his chair. His dad had gotten it for him, Jonas had only set it there to go use the bathroom. He was glad Jonas just laughed it off. "You didn't have to get me anything."

"Oh fiddlesticks!" She said. "You're only ten once and you should be having fun! Believe it or not I was Ten once to."  
"That must've been interesting." Albert said

"The Vault was so much more lively back then, unlike now. We don't have nearly as many young people as we did then." Old Lady Palmer seemed lost in memory. "Well, you should go enjoy your party!"

"Thanks, Mrs. Palmer." Albert said. He'd save the sweet-roll for later, he had a cake to enjoy.

" _IT'S TIME TO CUT THE CAKE!_ " the mechanical voice of Andy said loudly. Andy was a 'Mister Handy' robot, he didn't come with the Vault, having been the project from several past maintenance workers, though Stanley was the first one to get him working properly.

"Andy wait!" Stanley said as Andy revved up his saw blade.

Bringing it down straight in the middle, the blade flung cake pieces all over the counter and the floor. His dad and Stanley ducked as frosting sprayed over the sides and a large piece hit Butch in the face.

Albert put a hand over his mouth to prevent him from laughing. Andy still had some problems in his logic circuitry.

" _I AM, TERRIBLY SORRY._ " Andy said for what could pass as sheepishly.

"It's alright Andy." Albert said picking up a small piece of what was left of the cake and eating it. "Lemon and vanilla. Good choice."

It was really the only choices in the Vault, Lemon, vanilla, and 'spice' cake. Three choices pick any two to satisfy your sweet tooth.

"Hey gimme that sweet-roll!" Butch said behind him. "That stupid robot destroyed the cake!"

"I know I was right here." Albert said.

"Yeah, you're very funny. Now hand over that sweet-roll before I deck you!"  
"We could share it?" Albert suggested.

"'We can share it.'" Butch mocked. "What are you five, now hand it over!"  
"You must be hungry Butch, your mother drink up all the ration cards again?" Albert asked. Butches' mother was a known drunk in the Vault, and a touchy subject for Butch.

"Don't talk about my mother!" Butch shouted getting up and taking a swing at Albert, Albert moved out of the way and his father stopped behind Butch grabbing his arms.

"That's enough of that!" he said looking sternly at Butch. "Sit down and behave yourself or leave."

"Mr. James, please don't do my job." Officer Gomez said coming up to them, he had seen the first swing and was already there. "Now you boys behaving?"

"Oh it's alright, just boys being boys." Albert said.

"Well both of you stop causing trouble." Gomez said taking a seat, keeping a close eye on Butch.

"Sorry about Andy." Stanley said. "So how do you like your Pip-boy?"

"I can't wait to start modifying it." Albert said grinning.

"Well I'll let you take apart some other ones first okay." Stanley said smiling. "The A models are a bit dated, but are quite reliable when you know how to work them."

"Oh and one more thing." he beckoned Albert over and put a cap on his head. "Happy birthday!"

"Thanks Stanley." Albert said smiling. "And thanks for not letting Andy put it on my head."

" _I WOULD'VE DONE JUST FINE THANK YOU VERY MUCH!_ " Andy protested.

"Yeah instead of cake it would be itty-bitty pieces of brain and skull to clean up in the cafeteria." Albert joked.

The intercom went off and his Father left to answer it. Albert and Stanley talked about maintenance and robots for a minute. Stanley was probably his second best friend in the Vault. They both bonded over technical applications but most of all, Andy himself. Albert hoped to be able to build his own Mister Handy in the Vault, maybe even several, if he could find the parts.

"Son, when you get the chance, head down to the reactor level, we've got a little surprise for you,"

His father left, Albert was still enjoying talking to Stanley about the Mister Handy's. Telling him how back before people had to live in the Vault there were Mister Handy's that shot lasers and flamethrowers called Mister Gutsy. That would be a fun thing to build!

Looking over at Amata, she seemed to be having more fun than him. Running around asking everyone how they were doing, giving party hats. Albert smiled, Amata told him that she was going to be overseer one day, she must be starting early.

Her Father was the current Overseer, and though Albert was best friends with his only daughter, he seemed to not like either Albert or his father. He'd once overheard the overseer telling his father to stop wasting resources on some project, but he's never found out what that project was.

The Overseer got up and excused himself. Albert thought that this would be the best time to go down into the reactor, but before then he'd shadow the Overseer for a minute or so. Giving Andy the sweet-roll and telling him to guard it, he followed the Overseer.

It was something he did to amuse himself. Follow people to see where they were heading, the Vault was only so big and Albert had already seen every inch of it when he was seven, so seeing what people did in it was something to help pass the time. And he'd never had the opportunity to follow the Overseer before.

He moved silently, staying close to the wall so his shadow didn't give him away. He recognized the path and realized that they were going straight up to his office. Waiting for the Overseer to go up the first flight of stairs, Albert followed and stopped on the first flight, the second led straight to other Overseers door.

"Enjoy the party sir?" a voice that Albert recognized as Officer Kendall.

"Bah! I only showed up because Amata's friends with the brat." the overseer stated. "Give everyone a few more minutes then I want that place cleaned up and all of them back to work!"

"Yes sir."

Albert knew that the overseer seemed to not like him, but he didn't think he'd actually find that to be true. Feeling bitter, he went down the steps and bumped into Beatrice Armstrong, the local gossiper and Tarot reader of the Vault, though she would always deny the gossip part.

"Hello young Albert!" she said cheerfully. "Am I late for the party?"

"What's left of it." Albert said rather gloomily. "It'll be over in the next couple of minutes."

"Oh darn." she said. "Oh don't look so down when you're not even at your own party!"

"Oh I'm going to meet my father. He has a special present for me." Albert said trying to smile.

"And I have one for you myself deary!" She said handing him a piece of paper. "It's an older poem I wrote. I tried to make a new one but I couldn't find a word that rhymed with overseer."

 _Just use the word 'ass' plenty of rhymes for that._ He thought. "That's alright, but thank you. You should go enjoy what's left of the party, I'm sure Mr. Brotch is still there."

She smiled and patted Albert on the head as she passed. Reading the poem:

Gray Walls, impenetrable steel.  
Suffocation! Condemnation!  
Little hands groping in subterranean uncertainty.  
Mommy? Daddy? Am I Dead?

Nay! Nay! Reborn into purifying fluorescence!

A face emerges, strong and male.

Father to me? Father to all!

Overseeing our lives, our eternities.  
Harshness of discipline.  
Harshness of love.

Obedience my savior!

Larva to pupa, pupa to worker.  
Buzz, buzz! One with the steel honeycomb.  
10 lies within the 101, significant at last.  
Till gray seeps from the walls, to hair, to soul.  
Then, eternal slumber, the sweet sleep of incineration.

Now he felt even worse. It dawned on him then that he was ten, and he already knew everything there was to know about the Vault itself. He still had so many more years ahead of him and he was already dreading them. Stuck inside these gray walls of impenetrable steel, with a harsh overseer that expected only obedience, and in the end his body just gets cremated. Beatrice wrote it as salvation; Albert was starting to see it as a hell.

Pocketing the poem he headed down into the reactor room and saw Jonas looking over a clipboard, seeing Albert he quickly pocketed whatever it was he was studying.

"Now what are you doing down here young man? You know this isn't a place for children."

"Dad said I could be down here." Albert said gloomily.

"Hey you don't have to take guff like that!' Jonas said giving Albert a gentle punch on the shoulder. "I know your dad said you could be down here. And he'll have a special present for you."

"Thanks Jonas." Albert looked at Jonas' smiling face, thinking of Amata, Beatrice, Stanley, Old Lady Palmer, even Butch, all seemed happy to be down here. Isn't there more?

"Hello there son, glad to see you finally made it." James said. "This is a special present from both Jonas and I."

He handed Albert a homemade BB gun, his gloom replaced by excitement at such a marvel.

"We finally got the final piece from a confiscated switchblade Butch had." James explained. "Though I'm a little worried how Butch could have gotten a knife."

"Who cares, I'll shoot him with this if he comes at me with one." Albert said smiling aiming and pumping the lever.

"I really don't want you shooting people with that thing." James said sternly. "But you can come down here and shoot as much as you like."

"Thanks dad."

"Hey! It was Jonas' idea originally."

Setting down the BB gun carefully, Albert hugged Jonas. "Thanks."

Jonas patted him on the back. "No problem little lad. Now shoot something for me! Go on!"

Pointing at three homemade targets. Albert picked up the BB gun, aiming and pulling the trigger; he was caught off guard as the recoil was surprisingly strong and missed.

"Hold it to your shoulder and squeeze, don't pull." James encouraged.

Doing that, Albert was ready this time, hitting the target close to the bull's-eye. Going down the line, Albert managed to hit all of them, though not direct center as he would have liked.

A familiar scurrying sound let Albert now there was a radroach nearby. Sometimes when Albert had helped Stanley and Andy clean down in maintenance, they could find several of the things eating away at the pipes, trying to get at the water. coming from behind several crates, the disgusting things was as wide as a chair seat and as long as a man's leg. It clicked and fluttered it wings looking for something to eat.

"Son, why don't you see if you can kill that thing with your bb gun." his father suggested.

Andy was always the one to kill them before with the saw blade. Though that was always a mess afterwards. Taking aim he shot it on the carapace and saw the bb bounce off. Though it did get its attention. Taking aim, he shot it in the face. This time the bb went through the soft tissue and directly into its brain. It twitched several times and went limp.

"Very good son!" James said. "Hey Jonas, take a picture with me and the big game hunter."

Holding up the BB gun like a trophy, his father wrapped his arm around him as Jonas took the picture, and his previous doubts about life in the Vault were gone.

" _All Vaults 101 personal are to report back to their stations immediately._ " The intercom sounded and reality returned.

"Well son, Jonas and I have to get back to work." James said patting him on the head. "You go ahead and stay down here and shoot as much as you like. But don't stay too long, your first Vault job is tomorrow and I don't want you being late on your first day."

"Thanks dad."

He only stayed for a few more minutes, shooting at the targets before dragging the radroaches' body off to the incinerator. Feeling his stomach growl, he realized that in all the excitement, he'd forgotten to get something to eat, looking forward to the cake before Andy destroyed it. Remembering the sweet-roll in the cafeteria fridge, he just hoped Andy didn't forget to guard it like he asked

Hiding the BB gun before he left. In the cafeteria Andy was still behind the counter cleaning up the cake pieces.

" _HELLO THERE YOUNG SIR!_ " Andy said cheerfully. " _I HAVE GUARDED THE SWEET-ROLL FROM ANY FOES JUST LIKE YOU REQUESTED._ "

"Thanks Andy. But don't you have to go help Stanley in maintenance?" Albert asked.

" _OF COURSE I DO SIR! BUT STANLEY INSISTED THAT I STAY UNTIL YOU RECOVERED YOU GIFT!_ "

"Next time don't destroy the cake." Albert said getting the sweet-roll. These things were better warm, but cold would do.

" _I'M STILL TERRIBLY SORRY ABOUT THAT._ "

"Don't worry about it. Just do better next time."

" _INDEED I WILL SIR! SEE YOU AT MAINTENANCE?_ " Andy asked.

Albert did enjoy hanging with Andy and Stanley, but it was his birthday he'd spend it his way. He wondered if Amata was free, they could read Grognak together. "Not this time, but send Stanley my regards."

" _VERY GOOD SIR!_ " Andy said floating out.

Albert smiled and headed the opposite direction, in the hallway his path was blocked by Butch, Wally, and Freddie.

"Now give me that sweet-roll." Butch said.

"Is this really necessary?" Albert asked. "It's just a sweet-roll."

"If that the case why are you so defensive about it freak?" Wally asked.

"Because it was gifted to me. And I offered to share but Butch is too greedy for his own good."

"This ain't about greed. You insulted my mother, so give me that sweet-roll as payment before I knock your teeth in."

"Don't you mean out?" Albert said. "Hungry and stupid, maybe I should give you this just out of pity."

That was one insult too much, Butch screamed and charged him. Albert stepped out of the way easily enough, but his back was turned to the other two and he wasn't expected them to help Butch. A blow to the back knocked Albert in the wall. Turning around he tried to defend himself from Wally, but when Butch got back into the fight, all Albert could do was curl into a ball and try to protect himslf from punches and kicks.

"Freddie you going to get in this?" Wally asked.

Albert glanced up to see Freddie face filled with doubt before hitting him very gently.

"You wimp! Like this!" and Butch it him right in the eye nearly knocking him out.

Butch did what he wanted, picking the sweet roll off the ground and taking a bite. "These things are good!" Butch said. "Gotta make Old Lady Palmer make these for me every day!"

"I think they're overrated personally." Wally said.

"What? You got them to?" Butch asked.

"Of course. She knew my dad when he was young, so she sometimes makes them for us."

"Tha's nufair." Butch said stuffing the sweet-roll in his mouth.

Albert could only see out of one eye, seeing the trio talking about there victory, Freddie gave one more look of regret before joining with his so called friends. Laying there for over a minute, nobody came to help him. Getting up, he checked himself over. He'd learn some basic first aid and human anatomy from his father, to try and help his dad not worry about him so much. His dad was the only physician in the Vault and that could keep him busy. He knew that nothing was broken, he'd be sore and he'll have a number of bruises and that would be it. Yet he was aching for revenge, the thought of going to get the BB gun and shooting Butch and Wally, and even Freddie for just standing there before finally participating, even lightly, filled him with rage.

This was his life. Stuck in this concrete hell, an overseer that despised him and a group of people that would make his life a hell. And not even that, for some reason, people always treated him and his father differently; Wally calling him a freak was how the rest of the Vault really treated them.

No not everybody, the thought of Amata, Stanley and Andy, Jonas, and Mr. Gomez calmed him down. Those were the people that seemed to care about him; those were the people who were his true friends. If he was going to be stuck in this hell, then he was going to make the most of it.

Knocking in the door, he knew that Mr. Gomez's shift was over, and he'd be trying to relax at this moment, but he needed to ask him this now. The door opened and Mr. Gomez's face furrowed with worry.

"What happened to you?" Mr. Gomez asked worryingly.

"It's nothing. Can I come in?" Albert asked.

"Sure." Gomez said letting in Albert. In the sitting room, Freddie was at the table doing homework; he glanced up only to bury his face into whatever book was in front of him.

"You have that upside down Freddie." Albert said. Freddie didn't look up, but flipped the book before flipping it again at Albert's chuckle; he was reading it right the first time.

"Can I speak to you privately Mr. Gomez?" Albert asked.

"No problem Al." Gomez said leading them to his room. Because Mr. Gomez was part of the security team, he was allowed an even bigger Vault dormitory, a living room, a room for his son, and a master bedroom for himself and his wife. Mrs. Gomez was busy putting Vaults suits away when Mr. Gomez asked her to leave.

"So what do you need to talk about?" Mr. Gomez asked. "About whoever did this?" he indicated to Albert's swelling eye.

"In a manner of speaking." Albert said. "I want you to teach me how to fight."

Mr. Gomez laughed. "Albert I'm not allowed to do that, and I don't want you taking this in your own hands. It's my job to protect the Vault and look after its citizens."

"I want to become a member of security when I get older." Albert said though it was only partially true, he really wanted to learn to better defend himself from Butch and his group. "And I need to know how to defend myself. I laid on the ground for minutes and not one security patrol came to help me."

"Really?" Gomez frowned. Albert suppressed a smile; Mr. Gomez was one of those good cops that he read about in some of the pre-war pulp stories. Always trying to do the right thing even when off the clock, it was the main reason why he figured he could come to him. "So who did this?"

"Will you train me?" Albert asked again.

"Tell me who did this?"

"Butch and Wally."

Mr. Gomez sighed. "I'm going to have words with their parents about their behavior. And I'm going to talk to security about why someone who was attacked was left unnoticed."

"They're just going to do it again." Albert countered. "Butch is too stubborn and Wally's father is friends with the overseer so he'll never get in trouble."

"And if you start attacking them you're going to be in serious trouble." Gomez countered.

"I won't attack them; only defend myself if they attack me." Albert said.

Mr. Gomez seemed to be thinking it over. "Alright, I'll teach you. But only for defense!" Mr. Gomez was making himself clear. "I ever find out that you picked a fight, or you tricked them into fighting you. We're done."

"I promise I won't attack anyone, only fight when I have to."


	2. Chapter 2 Paper Garden

"This is unacceptable son." James said looking at yet another absentee note from Mr. Brotch. "You need to attend Class."

"I already know everything that Mr. Brotch can teach us." Albert said hating that his voice squeaked when he said it. "All that he keeps droning on and on about is how the Overseer protects us all. I've learned more from Andy then I've from that."

"That may be Al, but you still need to at least be physically present in the class room. You can think over any lessons from Stanley while there."

"Or I could not show up, learn some more maintenance from Stanley and work on my skills even more then listen to some two-bit propaganda piece than even Brotch seems to have trouble parroting."

James rubbed his temples. Sitting at his desk he took the tone of a doctor talking to a patient. "Son, you're growing up and right now your hormones are-"  
"Don't give me the puberty speech please." Albert said his voice squeaking again at 'puberty', he was looking forward to that passing. "I'm thirteen nearly fourteen and I know what I'm going through. And no you can't blame puberty on my actions."

"I will ground you son." James said.

"The last time you tried that I hacked the locks and fixed some of the sewer pipes." Albert said. "I don't get why you're so upset. It's not like I'm going and picking fights or raiding the liquor rations. Oh no! He's going out and fixing things! How irresponsible of him!"

His dad cracked a smile at that before getting serious again. "I'm not worried about you making bad decisions. I'm worried about you shying away from responsibility. You are given the tasks to go to school, then do your Vault duties, after those things are done, then you can waste time with Stanley or Amata."

"So responsibility is doing what I'm told? I thought you said it was dealing with the consequences of your actions?" Albert shot back.

His dad looked upset and Albert felt a twinge of regret, he didn't want to hurt his father, he knew that he was only worried about him. "Sometimes I think you're too smart for your own good son." James said smiling, though it looked like he was going to cry. "Please go to school for me and your mother, she'd hate it if you ended up becoming some garbage collector."

"Alright, I'll go to school." Albert promised.

Back in his room he threw on his maintenance jumpsuit, looking at himself in the mirror, seeing the thing covered in stains, the length of his black hair was pushing regulation, seeing patches of hair growing on his face, he figured after he got this school stuff cleared up he'd have his dad teach him how to shave. He really wanted to look his best in the next couple of days, but that was still being prepared. Grabbing the paper flowers he'd made the night before he said bye to his dad and headed towards the Vault school.

The major thought going through his head was his mother. His dad said her name was Catherine but never told him her maiden name and he couldn't find anything about her in the Vault's records or obituaries. He tried talking about it once before, but his dad broke down crying and he didn't want to upset him again. Still that did leave some questions that he wanted answered.

"Well hello you little punk, been a long time." The familiar voice of Butch, though his voice also broke in places making him sound a lot less intimidating then he'd hoped.

Albert could see it on his face, and Freddie and Wally were trying their best not to laugh. "Well if it isn't the Vault Rats, I'll have to have maintenance know that there's a pest problem."

"We ain't the Vault Rats anymore." Wally said. "Now we're the Vault Dwellers!"

"Vault Dwellers?" Albert asked skeptically. "Wow Butch, you come up with that one all on your own?"  
"It was my idea!" Wally said proudly.

"And I thought you were the smart one of the trio of stupid." Albert said. "If you're Vault Dwellers, then everyone inside the Vault is technically a member of the gang, making you not so exclusive. And if you're really going to try and fight me again, aren't you beating up one of your own members? Thought that was something of a taboo among you idiots."

"See I told you it was a stupid name!" Butch said.

"Don't listen to him!" Wally objected.

Albert laughed at their bickering, knowing that it would just get them even angrier. He knew that he was pushing the promise he made to Herman, but he wasn't picking the fight. They were coming to attack him anyways, and they could walk away from a few taunts, but Butch was too stupid and Wally too prideful. And when they stopped arguing with each other they nodded and Albert knew what was coming.

Both rushed him at once like always, keeping them both in his sight, tripping Wally and grabbed Butches punch, twisting his arm and with a quick knee to the chest knocked the air out of him, he kicked him into Wally entangling them and they both were fighting each other just to get up.

Albert chuckled and turned away. Freddie just stood there. "I guess you're the smart one Freddie." He patted him on the shoulder as he passed whispering: "You should really leave these fools."

Feeling a lot better, he entered Mr. Brotchs' classroom. Most of the other students were already there. On the blackboard there was the picture of the Overseer being surrounded by bowing members of the Vault, he felt an urge to vomit. Looking around he saw the one he wanted to see. Amata was sitting in the back corner reading over her papers; she glanced up and showed a hint of a smile. Gently smiling back he approached her desk.

"It's nice of you to grace us with your presence Mr. James." Mr. Brotch said from his desk. "I thought you to be too good for my classes?"  
"That's actually something I wish to talk to you about Mr. Brotch." Albert said before looking behind him and seeing the Vault Dwellers come in fuming taking their seats and glaring with hatred at him (Freddie kept his eyes away).

"Seeing how I maintain a grade average higher than those three combined and I don't even show up, can you just pass me so I can go back to maintenance?"

"You must be the only kid that I've ever had that actually wants to work in the maintenance department." Mr. Brotch said smiling.

"Well it's mostly the engineering that interests me." Albert said.

Mr. Brotch gestured for him to come to the desk and lean forward so they had to speak in whispers. "I take it your dad getting upset with you?"

Albert nodded.

Bringing up Albert's file on the computer he looked over it and said. "Well you do turn in your homework on time, you need to thank Freddie for that, and you have passed all tests, though I have to dock you 20% for being absent. I really don't have any problems with you going and helping Stanley as long as you maintain a B average."

"Then will you please stop sending absentee notes to my dad and explain our arrangement!?" Albert whispered through gritted teeth.

"I don't know?" Mr. Brotch said. "With that attitude maybe not, but seeing as my toasters broken..."  
"I'll fix it."

"I'll talk to your dad right away. And thank you for helping Stanley you have no idea how much he appreciates it."

"Thank you Mr. Brotch, always a pleasure to be in your class." Albert said shaking his hand.

As he passed by Amata grabbed his leg. He saw her doe brown eyes wide with shock, combined with her light freckled face made her look adorable. Though Albert found his eyes wander from her face to her breasts and a sudden image of her jumpsuit's zipper gently sliding down-.

"What did you do?" She whispered knocking him from the image. "You can't keep skipping class like this!"

"I'll talk to you later I promise." Albert whispered sliding the paper flower from his pocket and into her waiting hand. She hid it between a book and her thumb; she bit her lower lip and glared at him. The glare directed at most people would've made them hurry in the other direction of where they were going, but to Albert it just made her look cute.

"Nice of you to help me with work." Stanley said resting his feet upon the table. "You have no idea how busy I am."

"I know. Just getting up out of that chair takes far too much effort." Albert said jokingly as he filled Andy's carbon tank and the citrus container. Connected to his pip-boy via a connection cord, he put the programming in the pip-boy directly into Andy's processor. Taking his own chair both raised their empty glasses and Andy filled them with the mixture of their own homemade sodas.

" _ENJOY YOUR REFRESHMENTS SIRS!_ " Andy said.

Taking a sip from the frizzy drink, Albert looked around the maintenance room that he and Stanley spent most of their days. It was littered with scrap metal and broken down electronics. Whenever they weren't clearing out blocked up pipes or fixing broken down equipment, they always hanged out here tinkering. Pointing at some of the blueprints hanging along the walls. "You find the blueprints of a Sentry Bot?" Albert asked.

"Oh that? Nah just some designs that I think they were based on. Can't find any of the actual blueprints, but there are some old army posters that I've based them on."

"Personally I want to build my own Protectron." Albert said. "Or build whatever that is behind House." Pointing at the picture of Robert House behind a gigantic robot.

Laughing, Stanley said. "Well, we're going to need something a lot bigger than this Vault to hold it and a lot more man power then just us little two."

"We have Andy." Albert joked.

" _SIR I REFUSE TO TAKE PART IN BUILDING MY REPLACEMENT!_ " Andy objected.

"You won't be replaced Andy, in fact you'd be the boss of that giant robot." Albert said

" _REALLY SIR?_ "

"Of course. You were here first." Stanley chipped in.

" _THEN LET US BUILD THAT MONSTROSITY AT ONCE! MORE REFRESHMENTS SIRS?_ " Andy asked.

They both laughed at Andy's sudden enthusiasm. "So is my surprise ready?" Albert asked. Stanley was the only other person that he trusted with this surprise. He hadn't even told his own father.

"Oh so you want to continue working on that?" Stanley said getting up. "I get it you want it done, after all today's the day right?"

"Yep, let's get to work." 

"Very good Al!" Herman said getting up from the practice floor. "Boy you have improved quite a lot since our first day."

Albert had just done a successful take-down on Herman while he was struggling, like it would be in real life. "Thank you Herman, these training sessions are really paying off." Albert said grabbing a towel and tossing one at Herman.

"So I've heard. You've been skipping classes again and picking fights." Herman said with a lecturing tone.

"Mr. Brotch and I have reached an agreement. And you know I'm skipping class because I would be there right now if i wasn't." Albert said jokingly. "And I don't pick the fights, I just fInish them."  
"Well be careful. Allen Mack is starting to bring his complaints straight to the Overseer and I don't want either you or your father getting into too much trouble."

"So I can get into a little trouble?" Albert joked. "Besides Wally should stop picking fights with me if he doesn't want to get hurt."

Herman was silent before saying. "So you still are trying to become a member of security?"

"Yeah." Albert said, though he enjoyed maintenance, he knew that if he really wanted to change anything in this Vault he'd either have to go administration or security and he'd chose the latter.

"Well in that case. I think it's time I took you to the shooting range."

At the range, Herman took out his N99, ejecting the magazine and chambered round, he handed it to Albert. "This is a 10mm pistol. Enough stopping power to stop anyone in the Vault, even those wearing body armor are going to be feeling the blow so I don't want you shooting this thing wildly understand."

"Herman." was all Albert was going to say.

"Alright, alright." Herman said smiling. "Lecturing you on responsibility is wasting breath."

"Wish my dad knew that." Albert said loading the magazine and chambering a round.

"Wait until you have kids, they could do everything right and you'll still be worried about them." Herman said. "I take it you've been reading up on that gun?"

"Been reading up on a lot of guns." Albert said taking aim, he remember reading that these things have a bit of a kick and liked to pull up. Squeezing the trigger he let his hands get used to the kick of the weapon. "And you know me, always try and come prepared."

Herman smiled. Albert emptied the magazine, ejecting it and loading another one he felt he got this taking aim he shot the target, all hitting the center mass.

"You're a natural shooter Al!" Herman said looking at Albert's handiwork.

Albert shrugged. In truth he'd had a lot of practice aiming with his BB gun, he knew how to line the sights and take aim, and how to make sure the kick or reload didn't mess with your line of fire. Came in handy when shooting Radroaches through the head during maintenance cleaning.

"You know, you're probably going to be the greatest security officer in the Vault by the time you qualify." Herman said.

"I have a good teacher." Albert said. Herman smiled proudly.

Sitting on the steps leading to the main chamber of the Vault, Albert was reading a book on robotics by Robert House. It went into details about civilian robots, from history class, he pieced together that the governments, before the end of the world, had made sure that no military robot designs ever got out in the public in fear of communist copies. Would've been nice if they at least let the Vaults have the designs. Rubbing his freshly shaved face, he hoped that he looked his best for today.

"Hey. So you going to explain to me what happened this morning?" Amata asked behind him.

Looking up at her she had her hands on her hips and had a look that he'd seen on his father every time he'd receive and absentee slip. "Mr. Brotch said that if I fixed his toaster he'd pass me. Figured that was easier than having to listen how great the Overseer is for three hours."  
"You're adorable." Amata mocked sitting next to him. "So why do you keep skipping classes?"

"Because I'm sick of listening about how great the Overseer is!" Albert said. "I'm in school to learn, not get brainwashed. I've learned more from Stanley, Herman, even just watching my dad and Jonas work then I've learned in that class. Even Mr. Brotch sounds so defeated whenever he starts talking about how great the Overseer is!"

"I know that's not all." Amata said gently.

"It took me four-hundred and thirteen steps to get here." Albert explained. "It'll take me four-hundred and twenty seven steps to get back to my bed. Just last year it was four-hundred and thirty three. The Vaults getting smaller Amata. I don't know if I can take it."

Albert smiled at her. "You know what I'm talking about. You still carry that picture with you?"  
"Always." She said, taking out a crumbled old picture cut from an old magazine, holding it out for both of them to see.

Albert's hands brushed up against hers and felt his stomach flutter. It was on old picture showing a sunny cloudless day under a flower garden with a small stream between it. Things of beauty that no longer existed. Amata had shown him this picture when they were eleven years old, telling him that she dreamed of seeing real flowers once in her life; she said that he must think it a stupid dream.

"Not at all," was his reply, "I dream that I've seen and felt the sun, and I want that to happen."

Her father wouldn't allow hydroponics to grow anything that didn't have a practical use and had refused the growing of anything useless like a beautiful flower. So Albert had taken upon himself to make flowers out of paper. Cheap substitutes, but every time he handed her one in the past two years, her face always lit up.

"I wish we could go outside." Amata sighed. "But we can't. As small as this Vault is, it's the only thing we got Al."

"Dad said the same thing. But I don't believe it. I can't believe it. I know there's something outside these walls!"  
She hugged him. He could smell the perfume that she was starting to wear, it should've been nothing, Beatrice and Christine Mack wore it, even old lady Palmer wore it, but on her it made her seem more alive, the smell made him think of her.

"Amata, will you come with me?" Albert asked deciding that now was the time for his gift.

"Sure, where are we going?" she asked.

"Down in the reactor room." Albert said.

"This isn't another radroach pet is it?" she asked dreadfully.

"Not this time." Albert laughed.

Going down to the reactor room Albert's heart was beating a mile a minute but did his best to not let it show. He didn't want to spoil the surprise. "This way," he said taking her to the spot where Stanley and he had worked for the past several weeks.

"So you did remember." Amata said smiling.

"Remember what?" Albert smiled back.

"My birthday. So what did you get me? I take it we're going there right now?"

"Sometimes you're too smart for your own good Amata." Albert said. "Alright close your eyes and no peaking.

She even kept one hand covering her eyes. Taking her other hand he came to the room with a small note on the door that read 'good luck'. Smiling at Stanley's support he opened the door and led her inside. Closing the door behind him, he said, "Alright open up!"

He heard her gasp and she slumped in shock, she turned to look at him and her jaw was on the floor. Albert smiled.

She was standing in an exact replica of her picture: the green grass made from pieces of the Vault mini-golf course, a stream of water, looping from a mechanical waterfall ran through the middle of a field of paper flowers, and the gentle glow of a dim yellow light bulb gave the impression of a setting sun.

"This is so beautiful Al!" Amata said leaning over to smell one of the flowers. "You even scented them!"

"It was really hard." he said sheepishly remembering the first time he tried to scent one of the paper flowers and gave him a splitting headache from too much scent. "I know how much you like them and..."

He didn't get to finish she hugged him so tightly as though it would never be enough to express her gratitude. He let her hold onto him. He had a picnic ready, to enjoy a meal in the flower fields, but he felt if he didn't do it now, he'd never get the chance to again.

Amata's grip started to slack. "Amata." Albert whispered. She looked up at him and smiled. "Please don't hate me."

Confused for only a moment, Albert bent forward and kissed her on the cheek. She looked stunned, then upset and felt his stomach sink, he'd went too far.

"Al, you messed up." she said.

"How?" Was all he could make out before she leaned forward and silenced him with a kiss of her own.

They stood there with their lips embraced for what felt like forever, and neither of them would mind if it was. Stepping back she blushed and looked away sheepishly, Albert felt that his face was no different.

"I also made us a picnic, you know if you.." Albert stuttered.

"That would be nice." She said grabbing his hand and smiled.


	3. Chapter 3 Career Planes

"Alright son. You look to be a healthy young man of sixteen, and I see no reason why you should not take the G.O.A.T today," his father said finishing his exam.

"But I'm sick! Really!" Albert let out a fake cough.

"When I first started medicine, one of the first things I learned was how to spot someone trying to cheat their way out of a test." James said smiling and sitting in his chair before entering something in the computer.

It was Albert's monthly physical, and since it coincided with the G.O.A.T (Generalized Occupational Aptitude Test), he figured he'd have a little fun with it. "But my hairs graying, see?" he said plucking out one of his hairs that truly was gray

He had started getting gray hair last year, it had shocked him but his father told him that his mother had the same problem. Premature graying, he said it wasn't so bad. Your hair turns white before your thirty, but it just makes you look more unique.

"It's what attracted me to your mother." James had told him. "Her beautiful white hair, her intellect, and her will. That's also something you got from her along with your white hair, her stubborn will to get things her way!"

"Dad. Why don't you ever talk about mom?" Albert asked. "And why can't I find anything about her in the obituaries? You said she died giving birth to me, but there's nothing in the records."

"Some things get lost when someone dies son. Not everyone gets put in the obituaries in 101." James said looking intently on the monitor. Albert knew that he was doing his best not to discuss the subject.

"And why don't we have any pictures of her?" Albert asked. "I know there were working cameras in the vault long before even you were born. The only thing you've ever told me is her favorite passage."

" _Revelation 21:6. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely."_ His dad recited, the passage was framed, sitting on his desk. It had been there since as long as Albert could remember, and it was the only thing his mother had left them apparently. It was from the bible, and though there were a few copies in the vault, Albert was not particularly religious, after all the book said it would only be seven years of tribulation before a savior appeared, and it's been far longer than that when the world was engulfed in flames.

"Son just know that your mother loved you dearly. And she wouldn't want you to waste your life when you can be extraordinary."

"Dad, I know when you're just trying to end the conversation so you don't have to talk about it." Albert said.

"Well stop picking times of urgency to have these discussions!" James said laughing the whole thing away. Getting up and putting a hand on Albert's shoulder. They stood eye to eye now. "Son, I know this place is not perfect, but this vault is safe, this is a home. Please stay on the Overseers' good side and make something of yourself here.

"Now go and take that G.O.A.T, I still have Stanley to see and a meeting with Jonas. I'll tell you all about your mother someday. Alright?"

"Promise?"

"Promise."

That was good enough. Leaving, he saw Stanley and Andy in the waiting room. "So give it to me straight? You going to make it another hour?" Stanley joked.

" _HE SEEMS TO BE IN EXCELLENT HEALTH BY MY SCANNERS._ " Andy said.

"It's called a joke Andy; I thought your humor circuits worked." Albert said. "Though you did just give me an idea; hey Andy, how would you like to be programmed for medical treatment?"

" _WHY THAT WOULD BE WONDERFUL SIR!_ " Andy said revving up his buzz saw. " _I WOULD BRING A DELICATE TOUCH TO THE MEDICAL PROFESSION!_ "

"Now I'm having second thoughts." Albert said. "Maybe I'll just stick to trying to fix that Auto-doc down in storage."

"Good luck." Stanley said. A chime let Stanley know that the doctor was ready to see him. "You know I miss you down in maintenance."

"Hey I still work there occasionally. I'm just busy doing other things."

"I know that." Stanley said grinning. Shaking Albert's hand with a wink, he entered James' office, Andy following behind. Pocketing what Stanley had given him he smiled and was hoping that it would come in handy later tonight.

Bumping into Jonas on the way out. "Hey there sport." Jonas said his hands carrying several spare water chips. "Off to take the G.O.A.T today?"  
"Yep." Albert answered looking at Jonas, he was getting older with crow's feet, but his eyes shown with even greater enthusiasm then Albert could remember. They both looked at James' office door to see some commotion as James forced Andy out and told him to 'stay'.

"You're probably going to have to wait." Albert said. Gently punching Jonas on the shoulder. "Anyways this is one of the tests that I can't take at home, so see ya!"

Close to the class he heard the familiar sounds of the Tunnel Snakes harassing somebody. Albert rolled his eyes, the Tunnel Snakes had become the local bullies and since the overseer sometimes used them to bully those that disagreed with him, security turned a blind eye to their antics, Albert didn't.

Seeing the black jackets with the green and black snake embroidered in the back. It was the last gift Freddie had given the Tunnel Snakes before they kicked him out. It was sad really, Freddie had taken the material meant for spare vault jumpsuits and turned it into quite impressive jackets. He hated seeing them on his least favorite people in the vault.

"Come on fatty, I got something to put in your mouth!" the familiar voice of Wally said.

"Are you kidding, she'd just bite it off and eat it, wouldn't you fatso?" the voice of their newest member, Paul Hannon Jr. said.

"Come on, I'll show you a real Tunnel Snake Amata." the hated voice of Butch said.

Albert felt his blood boil at that. "It would take too long to find it in the bush Butchy." Albert spoke loudly.

The three of them turned and they could tell that he was pissed. Wally and Paul had learned a long time ago not to fight Albert, after several broken noses, cracked ribs, and black eyes so bad that they couldn't see out of. They steered clear of him.

"What are you her boyfriend fat Al?" Butch asked turning to face Albert. Only Butch was stupid enough to keep picking fights with him. Though he had gotten better. From the scuffles in the past and seeing how good Albert had gotten. Butch had taking up boxing to compensate. He was the Golden champ, and Paul held the silver, but even with two boxers the odds were still in Albert's favor.

"Fat?" Albert said looking down his body, if anything he was stringy though with the jumpsuit on he looked like a scrawny teenager, he was quite muscular and toned. Albert liked trying to keep a balance between strength and flexibility. "If you're going to insult somebody, you should say something that is at least somewhat true and not so outlandish it just makes you look stupid. But I guess that's just a concept beyond you."

"You calling me stupid!?" Butch yelled putting up his fist. Butch did have the figure of a body builder, if one of those fists landed Albert would definitely be feeling it for awhile.

"Glad you can figure it out. See? The insult works when it applies to the person you're insulting." Albert explained.

Butch charged and attacked with a right jab. Dodging, Albert saw an opening but Butch attacked with a left hook forcing Albert to dodge another blow. He was actually forcing Albert back with a flurry of left and right hooks, he was just trying to punch Albert, he knew that getting into a grappling match would be a loser's game with how many take downs Albert knew.

Then Albert would just have to humble him at his own game. Stepping back from another right jab, Albert kicked Butch in the chest forcing him to step back.

"That's cheating!" Butch said, rubbing his chest.

"Sorry for breaking the unspoken rules of our fight. I'll make sure to let the fairy judges dock any points." Albert said trying to rile him up. "Maybe if you threw in a couple of kicks in your attacks you wouldn't be so predictable."

"Fuck you!" Butch screamed all thought of boxing forgotten he just wanted to throttle Albert.

Letting out a punch then a kick, Albert blocked the kick throwing Butch off balance and punched the air out of him.

Butch was gasping for breath but Albert wasn't done with him, throwing him against the wall, Albert let loose a flurry of his own punches, these ones actually connecting. He wasn't aiming to break anything, just making sure Butch wouldn't be forgetting this beating. Butch couldn't get away and after a few seconds just curled into a ball to try and block the punches.

Butch was good, he had been boxing for the past two years, but he was a brawler. Albert had spent the last six years training for security, and he could take down even trained individuals like Herman Gomez and Paul's father. A brawl was nothing compared to how much Albert had sharpened his skills.

The Tunnel Snakes had stood there impassive but by the shocked looks on their face, Albert had guessed they thought the golden boy of boxing wasn't supposed to be defeated so easily. Amata was trying her best not to smile, and if anyone else would have seen her, they may have thought she looked upset.

'Well? You two going to join in on this?" Albert asked stepping towards them

"No we're just going to go." Paul said hastily.

"Apologize to the lady first."

"Sorry Amata you look great!" Paul said stepping away from Albert.

Wally glared at him not even hiding his disgust. "You should really learn your place in the Vault Al." he said before heading off to class.

"Aren't they heading there a little early? Don't they have someone else to pick on?" Albert asked

"I don't care where they go. They're assholes, thanks for getting rid of them." Amata said casually. "I'm going to the cigar lounge. Relax before the GO.A.T. Thanks again Al."

She left without another word. "You two get into a fight?" Butch joked through groans as he struggled to get up.

"We're not a couple." Albert said. "We're not really friends anymore either, she has her own thing and I have mine." looking at Butch lean against the wall smiling at what Albert said. "You think that's funny?"  
"A little yeah." Butch said. "Kind of sad though. All your do-gooding, and you're all alone for it. Even security except for Mr. Gomez is always riding your ass. I don't think they'd mind it if we did beat you up."  
"You'd have to be able to do that first Butch." Albert said approaching until he was within punching range. "And security doesn't seem to mind me beating up you." Albert said pointing at the camera above them. "But I guess they don't mind me taming the snakes. Catch you later Butch."

Seeing that the cigar lounge was empty, he turned and headed down to the reactor room. The reactor room didn't have as many cameras down here. Probably because the designers didn't think anyone would be stupid enough to sabotage their home. And that little fact came in handy sometimes.

"Amata?" Albert said playfully. Looking around for her.

"Gotcha!" she said behind pushing him.

He instinctively tried to throw an elbow behind him but stopped himself looking like he had a nervous twitch. "Don't do that! I would hate to hit you accidentally!"

"You need to stop being so jumpy." Amata said wrapping her arms around his sides gently pushing him against the wall. "You know there's nobody down here, and no camera to be seen."

She kissed him gently before her tongue parted his lips, letting her tongue play with his own. Her hand roughly caressed his body as she pushed herself into him, as though trying to touch their flesh through their vault suits.

His hands caressed her body, massaging her breast through her jumpsuit, she grind against him and he unzipped her down to her waist seeing her supple body underneath the leather.

"Why the hell did they call you fat?" Albert joked.

"Shut up and kiss me." Amata said unzipping Albert's own suit and putting her hands underneath his undershirt her nails digging into his chest.

She liked to mark him and he didn't mind, sometimes with bites or nails or hickeys. He couldn't put a mark on her in fear of her father finding out. Lifting up her own undershirt he massaged her breast before taking one in his mouth hearing Amata groan in delight before her pip-boy started beeping.

"Dammit! We need to stop. We can't both be late for the G.O.A.T." She sighed pushing him away and readjusting her clothes.

"Does your father suspect anything?" Albert asked zipping up his jumpsuit.

"Oh yeah. But I know how to outmaneuver him. Right now he thinks that I like to spend time with the 'massager' that Beatrice gave me. Though he hates it when I come down here and then you come down. He's asked that question."

"Good thing Stanley's on our side then." Albert said. He knew that the overseer had asked Stanley to keep Amata away from Albert, and as far as the overseer knew, he'd done just that. As far as the rest of the vault knew, their childhood friend had become distant and they were just simple vault dwellers living out their lives. It seemed nobody had any idea that they were lovers, much less a couple.

"Did you get one from him?" Amata asked eagerly.

"Yep. So tonight?"

"Tonight definitely."

Standing in line to turn in his G.O.A.T. He heard Christine Kendall asking if she got into science. Mr. Brotch could barely contain his laughter as he said Maintenance.

"My father will hear about this!" she screamed and stormed off.

"Now Mr. James, it's such a rarity to see you in my class that it's considered an omen of trouble when you actually do." Mr. Brotch said taking his G.O.A.T. "well this is surprising. It seems you won your way to security. I might be talking to the next chief!"

"Thanks Mr. Brotch. And just so you know, even though I'm not always present, you're still a good teacher." Albert said.

"Get out of here Al." Mr. Brotch said smiling. "And good luck."

"Ass kisser." Butch whispered as he passed. Albert just smiled at his bruised face. Moving slowly to hear, Mr. Brotch said that Butch was the next hairdresser making Albert laugh.

"So what did you get?" Amata asked sounding like a student asking a fellow classmate about a score.

"Vault security." Albert replied in the same casual tone

"Nice. I'm on a supervisory track. Mr. Brotch says I may become the next overseer."

"I had no idea the position of overseer was hereditary." Albert said winking so only she could see as he passed.

At home he showed his father the results. "Well it's not what I hoped, but it's better than garbage incinerator."

"I'll still do maintenance and engineering on the side. But those are more along the lines of hobbies then career paths."

"I know you've gotten into fights with the Tunnel Snakes, but I never saw you truly aiming to become a security guard." his father said. "What are you doing?"

"Making a life in the vault dad." Albert replied.

His father hugged him and his face beamed with pride. "Yes son. You truly are making a life in the vault." 

Amata moans echoed throughout the chamber as Albert thrust in her. Sucking on her breast he flipped her so she was on top, she grinded on him kissing him deeply before licking his chest. Feeling the tension mounting, her nails dug into his shoulder and she bit his chest to not scream as the orgasm took her. Feeling himself about to come as well, he thrust in her fast until he exploded doing his best not to scream in pleasure.

Panting, she rolled off him and they lay entangled in each other's arms upon the sweaty sheets in the room that once held a paper garden.

"Everything's going as planned." Amata said getting her breath.

"Do you really have to bring that up now?" Albert teased as she playfully slapped his chest.

She was on the way to Overseer, and he was going to become chief of security. Those were the two most powerful positions in the vault, and when the two of them were there, they promised each other that they would at least see if the vault could be opened.

Though there was just one problem. "Your father might make it difficult for me to get a security job." Albert said. "You know he doesn't like me, and sees me as a bit of a troublemaker."

"I know that Al." she said wiping sweat from her brow, the one bad thing about this room it did get ridiculously hot. Taking a drink from the nearby water bottle. "That's why there's plan B. He trusts me and you'll keep your head down until I can get you a security job, I'll be in administration, and once my father sees what I can do, he'll start listening to what I have to say."

"Even if that means promoting the man that's been banging his daughter?" Albert joked taking a drink himself.

"Who I sleep with is none of his business." She smiled. "And I prefer running a merit basis and not nepotism. If someone I promote just happens to be my lover, it's because he's qualified for the job. Not just because he's good in the sheets."

They kissed and she looked down at Albert's penis. "So you only got one?" she asked.

"Yeah unfortunately. You wanted to go for round two?"

"It's alright." she shrugged.

Kissing her he put her on her back. Gently kissing his way down and playing with her bush before gently sucking on her bud. Her hand played with his hair and her feet curled up along his back. She started to squirm and pant; inserting a finger in her slit he worked his hand as he sucked her. Arching her back she buried her face in her hands and screamed in pleasure. Shaking after the intense orgasm. "Feel good?" Albert teased.

She nodded. "That's also something that I'm looking forward to. Being allowed to scream when you do that!" she said. Holding out her hand he pulled her up to a sitting position, pulling him forward she started working him with her hand before getting on all fours and taking him in her mouth.

He also was looking forward to that. No more sneaking, no more pretending. They could both be a couple out in the open in the vault. And one day down the line, they could be a couple under the real sun.


	4. Chapter 4 A Promise of Flowers

_\_ "Wake up!"  
Albert woke groggily to the sight of Amata's face and the blaring sounds of the Vault's sirens. "Amata? I was just dreaming of you." he said rubbing his forehead.

"No time for jokes you need to get out of here!" she rasped.

"What's going on?" his mind was starting to wake up after that grueling shift down in the reactor. Amata shouldn't be in his room. They had both focused on their plan and had maintained the masquerade of them being nothing more neighbors. Her being here without a vault duty was a bad sign.

"Your father left the vault." she stated.

"What!" he shouted getting out of bed.

"And everyone knows it now! They're having the exact same reaction as you. Did you know about this?"

Albert hastily put on his maintenance jumpsuit and the tool belt. The overseer had refused to let him take a junior security position, despite a glowing recommendation from Herman. Instead he had ignored Albert's G.O.A.T. results completely and forced him into the maintenance department. For three years he's been there. At first people thought it was quite the comedown for Mr. Absentee and rebel, but after fixing the communal showers, and being able to fix the vaults mainframe, people had started given him respect for being able to seemingly fix anything.

So they had been forced to stick with plan B. Amata was already a vault operations supervisor at nineteen. Many thought that it was only because of her being the Overseers daughter, but like Albert she let the results speak for themselves. After increasing the vaults productivity and giving them a surplus of nonperishable food in case of emergency, people realized that she truly did deserve the positions she was given. She had said that in about four years, she could convince her father to step down as Overseer and she could take his place, and they could finally open the vault.

Looked like that entire plan had been derailed. "No I didn't know anything. But dad was acting strange." He explained, making sure he had everything. "Always looking at me and asking me if I was happy in the vault."  
"And what did you tell him?" Amata asked checking the door. "Hide!"

Forcing himself into the closet. He heard Officer Kendall ask. "Is he here Amata?"

"Nobody was in the room. He may have left with his father." She was good, she even put a disapproving sneer in her voice.

"Well we'll still look around. And your father wants you back in your room, the radroach infestation's starting to get out of hand and we don't need you getting hurt."

"I'll be fine officer Kendall, just hurry up and find him."

"Yes ma'am." Kendall said, and Albert pictured a salute and he heard him leave.

"My dad's ready to tear this place apart to find you. We need to get you out of here."

"To the outside?" Albert said. Though he was worried about the sirens, security, and this radroach infestation. His excitement at the prospect of leaving still made it in his voice.

"The reactor path is being watched, so head to the Overseer's office, I found out that there's a secret passage leading straight to the entrance. I'll meet you there."  
She took out a holstered N99 pistol and handed it to him. "Here! This belongs to my father but I'm sure you're going to need it."  
Doing a weapons check, he found that Alphonse didn't let anything slip when it came to his weapon. This N99 was maintained to the point that Albert would think it was just fresh off the assembly line, but it was far from standard. Reinforced slide and frame, custom made front strap made to dig into the hand, and custom three-dot sight, and long type trigger making pull easier.

"You father didn't spare any expense on this weapon." Albert said reloading the magazine. "I'll only use it if I have to."  
"Good. And thanks." Amata sounded relieved.

"I may not like this place but I still grew up here." Albert said stepping out into their living room. "Run ahead, I'll meet you there."

She kissed him. "Good luck, and be safe."

She ran down the hallways. The emergency PA system turned on: _This is the Overseer. All residents of Vault 101 are hereby confined to their quarters. The radroach infestation is under control. Do NOT interfere with vault security personnel. Any resident found outside his or her quarters will be dealt with, severely! That is all._

"Too late for that Overseer." Albert whispered to himself running down the halls. Seeing Officer Kendall still patrolling the lower levels.

"Hey you! Stop!" He heard Officer Kendall shout. "I found him! Ah-radroaches!"

Albert half expected him to start shooting, but he saw Kendall didn't have a gun, instead using his baton to ward off the approaching radroaches. There were half a dozen of those things swarming on him. Albert had twelve shots and a spare magazine. He fired four times, watching the radroaches splatter the hallway as the bullets tore through them. Kendall swatted and crushed the other two.

"Let me pass." Albert said pointing the weapon at him.

"Take it easy Al. You can pass. Thanks for taking out the roaches." Kendall said retracting his baton.

Albert holstered the weapon and walked passed. Kendall pounced but the sound of the extending baton warned Albert of the attack. Kendall was older and a veteran, but he had grown soft in routine, not expecting to deal with anything more then someone drunk. Albert slammed him into the wall grabbing the baton out of Kendall's hand and smashing it across the visor. He didn't break anything, but left Kendall in a daze enough for Albert to take his cuffs and lock him to one of the grates on the wall.

"Sorry about that Kendall. I know you're just trying to do your job." Albert said.

Hurrying past, Butch came running down the other end of the hallway. "Hey you stop!" he shouted.

Albert had no time to deal with Butch, drawing the pistol. "Don't be a hero Butch! Just go back to your room and let me go!"

"You gotta help me man!" Butch said stopping short of Albert, his face white with fear. "The radroaches are attacking my mom. I'm too scared to go in, you got to save her man!"

With all the confusion happening in the vault, Albert's confusion made all the rest disappear. "What?" Albert said flabbergasted. "Why are you asking for my help, I thought you always hated me."  
"I don't hate you. I just always thought you were a goody two shoes. And you are, so please save my mom!"

"Alright Butch." The tone in Butch's voice made Albert think it wasn't a trap, even if it was it would be quite clever coming from Butch. "I'll help you."

"You'll save her? You man! You're the best!"  
"I said I'll help." Albert clarified. "You're going to help me kill them."  
"Man I hate radroaches though!" Butch said outside the door to their quarters.

"You rather your mom die instead?" Albert asked.

The face of fear was replaced by the familiar sneer of anger that Butch always had on his face whenever they were face to face. "Give me that stick!"  
Handing him the baton. Butch charged in. Albert was surprised, for someone so afraid he sure changed quickly when something he cared for was in danger. Stepping behind Butch, he saw Ms. DeLoria standing on the couch using a small table to try and ward off the radroaches.

Butch screamed like a barbarian, and with how bulky he was, and how over the top his scream was, the brief thought of Butch as Grognak pop in his head and Albert chuckled at the sight. When Butch crushed one of the radroaches that it tried to part down the middle, he snapped back into reality. Booting one of the radroach on its back he stepped on in it with a sickening crunch. Another tried to jump on him, he pistol whipped it into the wall and kicked it so hard his foot splattered the top of it.

"Yahoo!" Butch shouted. "We did it buddy!"

"Buddy?" Albert asked looking at the radroach guts on his red boots, glad they were the reinforced boots for maintenance and engineering. "When did we ever become friends?"  
"Just now man!" Butch said taking off his Tunnel Snake outfit. Albert instinctively went to a defensive stance in case Butch tried to attack him. "Here take this, as a token of our friendship."

Albert was skeptical, after years of them fighting each other; Butch was being a bit too friendly. "Why are you doing this?" Albert asked putting on the Tunnel Snake jacket.

"Your pops left the vault and you're going to be following him. Am I right?" Butch answered. "So take that as a reminder of all the scruffs we've had over the years."

"So no hard feelings?" Albert said zipping up the coat. Though he loathed admitting it, this thing was pretty comfortable.

"Nope. I hope you take care out there man. You know what." Butch said going to the closet. Taking out a spare Tunnel Snake outfit. "You run ahead I got an idea."

"Now I'm worried." Albert said turning to leave. Seeing Ms. DeLoria still shaking. "Are you alright?"

"I need a friggin drink!" she suddenly shouted.

Hurrying away from the DeLoria place. He rushed up the stairs and headed for the clinic. Stopping at the cafeteria he saw a body lying on the floor surrounded by radroaches.

"Get away from them!" he shouted shooting at three of them, seeing a bat on the ground he used it to crush the rest. Turning the body over, he found it to be Agnes Taylor, her old eyes where opened in shock and pain. From the superficial bite marks, he knew that the radroaches hadn't killed her.

 _Probably a heart attack_. Albert thought to himself. That's a death on the Overseer's hands for overreacting.

Knowing there was nothing more he could do, he continued towards the clinic.

" _I HOPE YOU LIKE IT TOASTY!_ " he heard the mechanical taunt of Andy.

Hurrying up the stairs he saw Andy shooting fire at a swarm of radroaches while a security guard fired a few rounds into the swarm. Albert joined in the shooting of the radroaches until his magazine was empty.

" _AH, HELLO SIR_!" Andy greeted turning away from the flaming roaches. " _LOOKING FOR YOUR FATHER? I BELIEVE HE'S GONE TOPSIDE FOR A SPOT OF FRESH AIR._ "

"Al?" the officer said putting away his weapon. "So you didn't leave with your dad! Amata said-"

"No I didn't leave Herman." Albert said glad to see a friendly face. "I didn't even know he left until just recently. And I'm going to find out why."

"You're going to leave as well? Go on the outside? Holey-moley." Officer Gomez said leaning against the wall.

"I need to stop in the clinic for just a sec though." Albert said opening the door and seeing Stanley hiding in the corner. "Letting Andy do all the fighting for you, eh?" Albert teased.

"Hey I made him for something." Stanley said trying to cover his panic. "Is it safe?"

"For now." Albert said glad to see his father's terminal was still on. Hooking his pip-boy into it, he downloaded every file he could get his hands on. Hopefully something in there would explain why he left.

"Hey Al. Put these on." Herman said holding out his vault armor and baton. "It'll do you more good than just that lousy jacket."  
"Herman, what about you?" Albert asked worried about his friend and teacher.

"I'll be fine." Herman reassured. "If you're trying to make it out, my outfit could also give you the disguise needed to make it out. You and I are about the right size after all."

Seeing the committed look of Herman's face, Albert nodded. He'd worn one of these before, three years ago when Herman had him audition for a junior position. Still Herman helped make sure everything was on properly, and though it was a bit roomy, fit him well enough.

"It suits you Al." Herman said smiling. Albert could see both pride and sadness in his eyes. "Al, you should know, it was a privilege and an honor."

Al knew he needed to hurry, but he was in the room with the two people that had taught him so much. Holding out his hand he shook Officer Gomez's hand. "Take the Tunnel Snake jacket back to Butch. Tell him that I'm sorry I can't take it with me."

Hurrying to Stanley. "Goodbye Stanley." Albert said shaking his hand. Stanley pulled him into a hug.

"You better take care of yourself out there," he whispered letting him go.

Hurrying to the clinic door he saw Andy and remembered something. "Stanley! In my room, second desk drawer on the right, is a holo-disk that will give Andy medical programming. Use it because I don't think the vault has another expert physician."

"Thanks I'll do that. Now get going before someone else comes!"

" _FAREWELL YOUNG MASTER!_ " Andy shouted as he headed towards the auditorium.

Don't you see this is our chance!" Tom Holden said to his wife. "We can get out of here just like the doctor did!"  
"Tom we should just get back to our room!" Mary complained.

"Listen to your wife Tom." officer O'Brian said pointing his gun at them both. "The Vault's under lockdown, and you're breaking quarantine!"

"You know that the outside world's a hell that no one can live in!" officer Richards' chimed in. "The Vault's where it's safe. Now listen to the Overseer and your wife and get back to your room."  
"The Overseer lied!" Tom shouted making both officers raise their gun at him. "Grandma Taylor told me that she once explored the outside world! And if the doctor and she could leave then so can I!"

"Officer Gomez!" O'Brian said looking past the Holden's. "You and Richards escort Mr. and Mrs. Holden back to their rooms, with force if necessary. I need to stand guard in case that brat comes along."

"Too late."

He shot both of them twice in the chest before they could respond. There armor was made to take such a hit, but it still hurt like hell. Rushing them before they could recover, Albert took their guns and used their cuffs to get them back to back. Taking their spare magazines and emptying their guns.

"Tom!" Mary shouted pointing at the stairs.

Seeing a swarm of radroches pouring down them it was the largest Albert had seen. "Both of you get to your dorm if you don't want to die!"

Tom grabbed Mary's hand and ran back to the living station, all thought of escaping forgotten. Albert leveled his gun and started firing. Each shot hit a radroach splattering it but more just kept coming over the dead carcasses. Ejecting a magazine and reloading he continued firing, trying to protect both the living quarters and the very officers he'd shot. It took three magazines, but all the radoraches were dead. Looking at the carnage, he felt bad for the mess he left Stanley and Andy.

He ignored the officers' protests as he ran up the stairs, he headed straight for the Overseer's office.

"You! This is all your fault!" Allen Mack shouted through the glass of his dormitory. "You and your stupid father! If we never let you two in, in the first place, this would've never had happened!"

Albert stopped. "What did you say?" Albert shouted at Allen, but was ignored. "What do you mean in the first place?!"

The blinds shut, Albert hit the window in frustration. In the first place? Does that mean that he never was born in the vault? He and his father were outsiders? The resolve to leave had never been stronger. He needed to find his father and get some answers from him.

At the systems room he found even more radroaches. He took the baton and smashed them to relieve his frustrations, stopping when he noticed another body. Looking over it, disgust filled, the body was so badly gnawed on by radroach teeth that Albert couldn't make out who it was until reading the name tag, Floyd Lewis. Albert's frustrations gave way to sadness, Floyd was always a good man and skilled engineer, and he didn't deserve to die being feasted upon by roaches.

"He's dead." Someone said behind him. "It's that bastard Lindsey's fault, and his kid. You want to get even, you find them, and you put a bullet in their eyes for messing up our vault."

Standing and turning around, he saw that it was Security Chief Hannon Sr. standing there, all spit and polish, talking to him as though he was some soldier looking for motivation to kill the enemy. He'd given the wrong person motivation.

Albert rushed Hannon tackling him to the ground. Hannon looked shocked for a moment but started fighting Albert off, knocking up the visor.

"You! You're father betrayed us all!" he shouted managing to throw Albert off of him. They stood and faced each other, Hannon tried to draw his pistol, but Albert took the baton and smashed his hand, the gun went off and the bullet went into the wall.

"You don't want to fire in here Hannon." Albert grunted. "Damaging the system could take down the whole vault."

"Your father already did that!" Hannon yelled, throwing a punch to Albert's face. Albert dropped his visor letting it take the blow. It disoriented him, but it wasn't that bad.

Countering with his baton, Albert got him in the knee. The kneepad prevented bones breaking but Hannon still buckled under the blow. Hannon could do nothing as Albert laid into him with the baton with a savage fury for everything that was happening so quickly.

Bleeding and unconscious, Albert's anger simmered, and he hoped that he hadn't just killed him. Hannon's breathing was heavy, and he'd be sore, but he'd live. Taking Hannon's security keys and spare magazine, he reloaded the rest from the Chief's gun into his own and hurried down the corridor towards the Overseer's office.

"Daddy, please stop it!" he heard Amata plead and it felt as though the entire weight of the Vault was in his stomach.

"Tell us where he is Amata." the Overseer stated in controlled fury. "Now."

"I don't know where he went!" Amata screamed before she shrieked and was hit.

"Don't lie to me Amata!" the Overseer shouted, his anger getting loose. "That proves you know him! Intimately apparently!"

"Dad please." Amata whispered. "I-"

"Officer Mack may enjoy this but I do not." Alphonse stated. "But I will let this continue until you tell me where he went. You want it to stop he'll have take your place!"

"Deal!" Albert shouted bursting in the room shooting officer Mack four times in the back. When he turned Albert shot him five more times in the chest. He fell to the ground and Albert didn't even care if he killed him.

Amata took the opportunity and ran past him. The Overseer tried to follow but with a gun to his face he stopped and they stared at one another, not bothering to hide their disdain for each other.

"You defiled my daughter." Alphonse hissed.

"Move." Albert said indicating the holding cell. Turning he saw the camera image of Amata and him in there living room, where she kissed him good luck. "What kind of monster are you to torture your own daughter?"

"Everything I do is for the good of the Vault." Alphonse stated keeping his hands up. "Something you'd never understand. Outsider!"

"So it's true? My father and me?"

"Yes." Alphonse said his tone becoming gentle. "I know how you used to pour over the records in an attempt to find anything out about your mother. How you always pestered your father about why she wasn't anywhere in the obituaries. I think the answer is obvious. I was there when James first came to the Vault with you under his arm. You call me a monster? Well what kind of monster would leave his child in the dark about his origins? I can tell you anything you want to know. Just hand me that gun and we'll discuss this like civilized men."

He turned and smiled. The gentle smile that Albert remembered back at his tenth birthday, when he heard the Overseer's true disdain from him. He punched him in the face so hard the Overseer fell back into the cell.

"I'll go ask my dad why!" Albert shouted shutting the cell door.

"You brat! I should've never let you in! Keep away from Amata! Don't get your filth anywhere near her again!"

Albert bit his tongue that Amata and he had gotten very filthy together many times over the years. Using Hannon's keys to open the security lockers, he took out one of the duffle bags and loaded boxes of 10mm ammo, spare magazines, a med-kit, and chuckled when he found a spare vault security uniform with a blank name tag. Herman hadn't been kidding.

Swinging the heavy bag over his shoulders he hurried to the office, seeing a drinking fountain, he stopped to take one quick drink, from the corner of his eye, he saw Amata kneeling down over a body"

"Amata." Albert said wiping his mouth. The rest of his words were caught in his mouth when he saw who it was.

Jonas laid there, his face so broken that it was only because of the glasses that Albert could even recognize him. The blood among the floor let him know that no radroaches had done this.

"They beat him to death Al." Amata said through tears. She hugged him tightly and he returned it, tears forcing their way down his own face as he stared upon the corpse of a good friend. "Why is this happening?"

"I don't know Amata." Albert whispered. "This is too much, all this just for someone leaving?"

"It's crazy." She whispered, wiping her eyes. She looked over him and saw the pack. "You ready to leave?"

"Yeah." He whispered, the taste of leaving bittersweet with the death of Jonas.

"Then let's get going." Amata said fire in her voice and a dedicated look in her eyes. She was determined to see this through, so Albert would do the same.

"Goodbye my friend. You didn't deserve this." Albert said closing Jonas eyes. Seeing a holo-disk sticking out of Jonas lab pocket he grabbed it, in black letters were only two words: From dad.

"I'm locking the doors behind you." Amata stated the steel in her voice whenever she had to take on the role of supervisor. "It'll give us some time. "Do you have food in there?" Amata asked suddenly.

"No. just bullets and medicine." Albert said. The thought of food didn't even cross his mind.

"Water?" she asked worryingly

"Don't have that either." Strange, the thought of food and water didn't even seem relevant to escaping.

"Come with me." She led them to her room. It was the first time he'd ever been in it. Her room was just as big as his living room, a desk, her own terminal, a double bed.

 _Being the overseer's daughter gave really good benefits_. He thought. Looking at her desk in a vase, were many of the paper flowers that he'd made her over the years. "You kept them."

"Most of them." Amata said. "I had to throw some out though, I kept the ones I really liked though."

He approached her desk and saw the messed up lotus petal flower he'd first made. It hadn't even been colored, just a piece of notebook paper that he practiced on and gave to her. "You liked this one?" Albert said holding it.

"It's one of the prettiest," she said. Looking over at him, before going to the private bathroom and running the water. She came back out and opened his bag.

"Several snack bars, and this is my old Vault 101 canteen," she said shoving them in, "never thought that old thing would be useful."

He remembered back when they were eight, how she would wear that thing around her and they'd explore the reactor room like adventurers. Loud banging on the door snapped him back to reality.

"We need to hurry," he said.

They went in the Overseer's room. A place that he'd never been in, surprisingly, even with all the times he skipped class or gotten into fights. A large room with many monitors behind it, and a terminal on a moon curved desk. He connected his pip-boy into the terminal.

"Look for a file called Overseer's Tunnel." Amata said.

"Could he get any more obvious?" Albert said, hitting the download button for all files. If what Alphonse said was true, then there might be something about his father, or whatever was on the outside. Commencing was the reply, after clicking on "Overseer's Tunnel."

The desk lifted and the chair slid back revealing a stairway.

"Alright let's get going." Amata said, stepping down the stairs.

The stairs led to a blank wall with a switch. Hitting it the wall slid open letting them both right outside the giant steel door of 101. They had always come here as children to stare at the giant gear like door, wondering what was outside of 101 and now they were going to find out.

"Alright, let's get that thing opened." Albert said, heading to the station by the stairs. The switching station was simple, all he needed was a key and to throw the switch.

"You're going to need this." Amata said putting in the key, twisting it she put her hand on the switch and hesitated. The realities of her actions seem to be catching up to her and she sighed.

Putting his hand upon hers he gently pulled down, Amata's hand didn't struggle or resist. She wanted the Vault opened as well and they both opened it together. The sirens and yellow warning lights of the Vault's systems echoed and flashed throughout the reactor room.

"We did it." Amata whispered happily. Though her eyes were full of tears as she looked at Albert. "You're out."

"What do you mean? Aren't you coming with me?" Albert said. His heart felt as though a thousand knives were piercing it.

"I can't Albert. Someone has to get the Vault back under control. I have to bring some sanity back to the craziness of today."

"After what he did to you!" Albert objected. He was not going to leave Amata in the hands of that asshole.

"I can take a few hits Al!" And she had the fire in her eyes. The fire that when she ever set her mind on something, it was going to get done. "Vault 101 wasn't just going to be opened for the two of us! It was meant for everyone so we can have hope that there is something more out there! And there is! You and your father came from the outside, and he went back out there! There is so much more then this Vault! And I'm very happy for that.

"But if I leave, my father will seal it back up. And nobody will ever get back out Al. Please I can't let that happen."

With tears in her eyes, he could tell that the pain going through him was also going through her. But she wasn't letting it cloud her judgment. Just as she didn't crack even though she was being beaten, so she wasn't letting her personal feeling get in the way of what was best for the people under her care. Her dedication and her ability to see things at all angles and come out with the best for all. It was the very things he loved in her.

"Why can't you ever be selfish for once in your life?" he smiled before kissing her.

She grabbed his head and kissed him back hard. They held each other, both knowing that it may be the last time that they would ever be able to be together like this. For one moment, he wanted to stay and fight the Overseer, stay at Amata's side and take the Vault back.

"I fricking knew it!" Butch shouted from the shadows. Snapping them both out of there fantasy. "I knew you two were an item!"  
"Butch!" Amata stammered her face blushing red. "What are you doing here?"

"I do some dirty work for your father don't I?" Butch said taking out his switchblade. "And I'd said I'd guard the vault door if the 'doctors' brat showed up."

"Butch." Albert warned.

"Don't worry about it. I never saw you. Besides I needed to give you this back." Butch said holding out the Tunnel Snake jacket. "You don't get to leave the Tunnel Snakes until I say you can."

Albert chuckled, of all the people to help him. "Alright Butch, I'll wear it with pride." putting it on, a thought ran through his head." Butch you still feel you owe me?"

"Yeah what do you need?" he asked.

"Protect Amata." Albert replied. "You are the second toughest man in the Vault. So please look after her."

"You got it buddy!" Butch said. "And I'm the toughest in the Vault, never forget that."

A loud banging on the door behind Amata made them all turn. "He's opened the vault! Get this door opened now!"

Amata face twisted in fear. "Go! Now!" she screamed.

Albert walked backwards, not taking his eyes off of Amata. Butch had the switchblade out and was at Amata back readying to fulfill his promise already. Tripping over the entrance of the vault, Albert twisted around and ran. Stepping on the outside, he barely registered the skeletons, and ancient signs, as he ran down the dirt cave road. Seeing a light, he heard the warning sounds and the grinding of metal as the Vault door begin to close.

He stopped and turned back towards the door. "AMATA!" he shouted trying to overcome the sounds of the closing vault door. "AMATA! I PROMISE WHEN I COME BACK I'LL BRING YOU FLOWERS!"

The Vault door sealed shut with finality. Sounds of locks, and an eerie quiet filled the caverns. Curious as to the skeletons, he went over to them, finding signs gripped in their hands reading 'Let us in you bastards!' 'We're dying out here!'. From the grip of their hands, he guessed they must've been flash killed by the nuclear bombs of the Great War.

He put his ear to the Vault door, but could only hear his beating heart. There was nothing he could do. Amata and he made their decisions, and he was not about to let her down by standing in front of the door moping. Walking up the cavern path, he saw an old gate with light coming behind it, and stepped into the sun for the first time he could remember.


	5. Chapter 5 Mojo

Holding his hand to block out the blinding light, Albert squinted to try and let his eyes adjust. Checking his pip-boy timer, it was 10:13A.M. The Vault's lights were designed to emulate the U.V. rays of the sun, and ensure a certain degree of light sensitivity, but he'd never seen anything this bright.

His eyes adjusted, and he looked around at the outside world for the first time. What greeted him were seemingly endless rocky hills of dull gray and brown, sand and gravel, and nothing else.

He felt a breeze move past him. Picking up a handful of dirt, he smelled it. Then, tossing the dirt into the air, watching it spread in the winds, he laughed! He was outside!

"Oh Amata! If only you could see this!" He said aloud. "I"M OUT!"

He jumped in joy, seeing a old worn sign that said 'Scenic Overlook' he stood at the edge to take it all in. As he stared, his excitement faded, and the crushing reality came sinking in.

The sky was nothing but a bright gray with some spots of sun shining through, not at all like the blue skies in the books and magazines. He chalked that one up to debris still floating around after nearly two centuries of atomic war. In the distance he saw the horizon of a derelict city; his eyes were drawn to an obelisk standing above the ruins.

"D.C? I'm in D.C?" He said to himself recognizing the Washington Monument from his history textbooks. He was surprised that there was anything left of D.C., he expected the Chinese to nuke the capital of their enemies to oblivion. He chalked it up to the government defenses protecting it from the worst of the fallout.

To his left and right he saw the crumbling ruins of what was once the great American highways, they stretched the entire commonwealth of America back in their prime. The dawning realization that this was the world, no walls, no counting steps to any location. A derelict city and ruined roads resting over the endless horizon of the bright gray sky, and he had to find his father in all of this.

"You could be anywhere!" He panicked, dropping to his knees. Taking a moment to steady himself, he broke it down realistically. His father had a few hours on him tops, so all he needed to do was find out which direction he went.

"That's easy," he muttered to himself looking again at the horizon. His pip-boy beeped, it was picking up a radio signal somewhere in front of him. Surprised that there was even a signal, he reminded himself that his father, mother, and he were from the outside, so there had to be others. Maybe they saw where his dad went.

Walking down the rocky path onto the ruined asphalt, entering the ruined town, the buildings were charred and crumbling, the signal was close, a giant rocket with the letters: 'Red Rocket' were hanging from the side where the signal was strongest. He heard music as he approached, Yankee Doodle if he wasn't mistaken. He was surprised that instead of a person, or even a radio, he was staring at a floating metal orb with a speaker and radio antenna sticking out of it.

" _Hello again dear America,_ " a voice from the robot said. " _Let's talk about government, shall we? Or, more specifically, YOUR government, dear America - the Enclave. Just who is the Enclave? Why, now, that's simple. The Enclave is you, America. The Enclave is your sister, your aunt, your friend, your neighbor. And, well, yes... the Enclave is me, as well. Haha aha. As your President, it's my responsibility to preside over our great democracy. So, as your President, I am the voice, I am the heart and soul of the Enclave. That is to say, I am the voice, heart, and soul... of America. But only together, TOGETHER, can we hope to reach our full potential. The way we were before the war. Whole. Beautiful. Powerful. One Enclave. One America. Now... and forever._

The speech ended and America the beautiful started to play from it, leaving Albert with all kinds of questions. The President sounded both graceful and friendly, but he didn't actually say anything about this Enclave. It was just a bunch of loaded language to make someone feel good. He'd heard enough of that over the Vault's PA systems growing up.

Though maybe the Enclave was an actual government and they may have seen his dad. "Excuse me?" Albert asked feeling slightly foolish, but perhaps this thing was like a two-way radio and he could get some directions from it. "Can you tell me where I am?" He figured he'd start with a simple question, he may be in D.C., but that term may have changed over the years. It didn't answer.

"Have you seen a middle age man with dark graying hair and beard? Probably wearing a jumpsuit with 101 printed on the back."

America The Beautiful ended and Hail Columbia started to play instead.

"I thought you said you were the government and we were rebuilding America together, so can you help me out or not?" He spoke, frustrated, and a bit too loudly.

" _Hello again dear America._ " Albert felt his heart race hoping that this thing was going to answer him. " _It's time for one of my inspirational quotes: Courage and perseverance have a magical talisman, before which difficulties disappear and obstacles vanish into air_."

Albert groaned in irritation. Fine if this thing couldn't tell him anything. Then he'd take it apart and see what he could find out from it. He reached out to grab it by one of its antennas.

"DON'T TOUCH THA' THING BOI!" Someone shouted. Albert's hand flew away from it as if he'd been scalded.

An old man wearing tattered, mismatched, patched up clothing came hobbling up to him, his wild mane of gray hair and wispy beard made him look quite demented, and his crossed eyes seemed to look in separate directions. He had a rifle strapped around his back that from the looks of it, Albert guessed, was an R91, and large goggles dangling from his neck

"Wha wrong with you boi? Tha thing there bad Mojo!" He said through broken and missing teeth. "You touch tha thing and you dispear! Happen to several folks that touches things with bad mojo!"

He smiled at Albert. "You good Mojo boi. What your name?"

"It's Al-"

"DON'T TELL ME YOU REAL NAME BOI!" he shouted. "THAT BRING YOU LOTS A BAD MOJO! Why you out here in all lookin' like that boi?" He asked suddenly and calmly. "You just rob a Vault?"

"I'm from a vault actually." Albert tried to explain. "I grew up in one."

He laughed at that statement. "And you thin' you can just walk on ou' and make it big on the ou' huh? Boi you dumb."

"It's nothing like that-"

"You dumb cause you ain't akin cover. Raida's make base in the school just a bit down the road, you standin out in the open in bright black and blue big target on you boi!"

"Raiders?" Albert asked. "You're not part of their group?"  
He laughed even harder. "Boi if I part of that group you be dead I wouldn even givin you warning boi I just shoot ya in the back and take your stuff!"

He sniffed the air and looked around like an animal sensing danger. "We need to hide boi."

He ran through the hole in one of the standing buildings, with no clue as to what was going on Albert followed. The old man stayed hidden, occasionally peaking out as if to see the danger that he thought was coming was outside.

"Nothing's out there." Albert whispered.

"Hush! Look bad mojo!" he whispered pointing.

Albert heard them before they came up the hill. "Hey asshole! We know you're around! Surrender and we might be nice, could always use more workers!"

Three people came up the road and they were even more disgusting than the old man. All of them had a thick layer of grime clinging to their skin and clothing, and their clothing itself seemed to be made up of equal parts: car tires and scrap metal. The one wearing what may have passed for normal clothing wore a sack with goggles sowed into it with a bandolier with gun rounds in several bullets catches across his chest. they all had weapons, two he recognized, the sack-head had a shanxi type 17 Chinese pistol, while one in a welding mask was carrying a S&W .32, the dirty Mohawk was carrying a rifle that he didn't recognize.

"Hey! Come on out blue!" The sack-head shouted. "Or should I call you a limp snake? Seeing how you're too much of a pussy apparently!"

"Hey guys, look! One of those eye-bots!" Mohawk said. "Let's take it back with us!"  
"No Slag, don't!" The welder said, but too late, Slag took a shot at it with his rifle, he missed but the eye-bot saw that it was in danger, shot several red lasers. The first one melted the tire on his shoulder, and the others tore through his chest, instantly blowing fist size holes in Slag and cauterizing the flesh around the wound, Albert could smell the charred flesh and nearly gagged.

Slag fell with two smoking holes in him, and the other two unloaded their weapons at the eye-bot. it tried firing back but with a volley of bullets hitting it, sparked and died in a small explosion.

"Dammit Slag." the welder said dropping empty casings from his gun.

"Shut up Freakshow, Slag was an idiot. Let's find that Vault asshole before the crazy bastard Mojo comes out." sack-head chided taking out a clip.

The old man stepped out and let out a primal cry, both raiders turned to face him in surprise and the old man took aim and let out two bursts of his weapon: sack-head was first hit in the chest then two more rounds tore through his face at the lower jaw, blood and teeth spattered the ground as he fell. All three rounds hit Freakshow in the chest, two going right through him, showing a red mist in his back, Albert saw that one round hit him directly in the heart, and knew he was dead before his body hit the ground.

"HA!" the old man screamed, giving the finger in the direction the raiders had come from. "Come on boi I need you help!"  
He went over to the welder and took his pistol and started patting down the body.

"You're robbing them?" Albert said disgusted.

"They don't need it anymore! Now go get that rifle and check him!" he said pointing at sack-head.

Picking up the rifle and quickly patting down Slag, he pocketed a handful of spare rounds. Seeing nothing else he went over to sack-head, kneeling down and with shaking hands he tried to undo the bandolier when he heard a gurgling sound. He saw the raider twitch and Albert realized that he was still alive, bleeding out and choking on his own blood.

Albert felt like vomiting. "Hurry up!" The old man said, rushing over picking up the Chinese pistol and ripping the bandolier off the raiders chest. The body flopped and splashed blood across Albert's visor.

"Come the fuck on!" The old man said, running away from the bodies.

"Wait!" Albert forced himself to say. "That thing- the eye-bot-"

"Forget it no time let's go!"

"He's still alive!" Albert shouted.

"Not long and he's bad mojo!"

"What about you! You just killed two of them!"  
"Me? I'm Mojo. They bad mojo, and you good, but dumb mojo! You wanna live now come!"

Knowing there was nothing he could do for the man, and if he had even more friends coming he guessed they would want to shoot at him to. Mojo didn't, and right now following a crazy old man was the safest course of action.

Mojo was surprisingly quick for an old man with a limp, and he had seemingly endless endurance, slowing down to allow Albert to catch up, a sheen of sweat was all upon Mojo's brow, while Albert was sweating profusely under the Vault armor and leather jacket. They ran past the Vault and kept running until Albert had to stop.

"Wait!" He managed to get out, breathing heavily. The running combined with his disgust of seeing the man's blood finally caught up to him, and he lifted his visor puking on the ground.

"You feel better boi?" Mojo asked. "No more stopping till we get home."

"Home." Albert muttered, the Vault had never sounded so good before, but that way was shut, perhaps coming out here was a bad idea after all.

Mojo kept ahead of him, casually jumping over rocks and running uphill as though it was flatland. Albert was in no way out of shape, but with all the heavy gear, and his bag, he may as well been running in tar. The run kept his mind off the bodies, and the regret he felt for leaving the Vault. If this was the world, he would deal with it, Amata and he made the promise that no matter what was out here, they wouldn't let it beat them.

It hadn't even been a day, hardly even an hour. The running started to become purifying, stripping away the regret and reminding him his dedication to live out here and find his dad. If his dad could make it out here so could he.

After what felt like hours, Mojo finally stopped inside a valley with a very old trailer sitting against the rocks, the makings of a campfire and a hole next to the trailer. "Home!" he said.

Albert stopped to catch his breath while Mojo went into his trailer to get something. Taking out the canteen and one snack bar, he didn't realize how hungry and thirsty he really was.

"Hey that clean wata?" Mojo asked coming back out with a plastic bottle.

"Taking a deep drink Albert nodded.

"Then don't go drinkin it all in one stink boi! You gatta space that stuff out!"

Mojo came up to him and snapped his fingers. A rude gesture for the host but Albert handed him the canteen, taking a quick swig he handed it back to him.

"Like that boi." Mojo said finishing his demonstration. "Tha' some damn good wata, where you get tha?"

"In the vault." Albert said realizing his ignorance. "I now this is going to sound like a dumb question, but you don't have clean water here?"

"Don't sound like a dumb question. Is dumb question." Mojo teased. "But askin dumb questions is how one gets smart. No clean wata here. Hardly any clean wata anywhere."

"If there's no water how do you survive?"

"Oh there be wata aplenty boi. Just no clean wata. Gatta make do with wha you get. Riva and the ocean flow don't mean it safe to drink."

Sighing, Albert realized that there was a lot more to the outside then he imagined. "Mojo, can you tell me who those people you killed were?"

"They were bad mojo."

"That doesn't really explain anything."

"Tha cause you dumb boi!"

Being called dumb constantly by a nearly toothless old loon was starting to get on Albert's nerves. He bit his tongue remembering that Mojo had casually killed two men and taunted the rest. Breathing slowly so not to snap. "What do you mean by bad mojo, Mojo?"

"They bad mojo." Mojo stated it as though it answered everything. "Do things that bad mojo. They raid, they slave, they kill 'cause. That bring bad mojo."  
"Are there lots of people outside that bring bad mojo?" Albert asked.

"Oh they be a lot. Lots of them live in Pardise, but you finds lots of bad mojo out in the Capt'al Wasteland. Some not even man, even worse."

"What? What could possibly be out here that was worse than raiders and slavers?"

"Oh bad mojo be in those robos that be shootin at everythin that ain't them. Bad Mojo in the ghouls that be losin their mojo an' attackin anything that ain't them. And lots bad mojo in the yella freaks who do somethin to people so bad that Mojo don't know."

Slavers, killer robots, something called ghouls and yellow creatures that do something indescribably horrific. And his father was out here in it. He was just a doctor, Albert was a trained security guard, and from his escape clearly the best one that never wore the uniform. How could his dad survive out here!

"Mojo did you see a middle age man? Younger than you but graying dark hair and beard!?"

"Nah I only came when I heard someone screamin'. That you boi?"

"Where would someone go to for a safe place?" He asked ignoring Mojo's question

"That be Megaton." Mojo stated. "They most good mojo there, sheriff there definitely good mojo. Man go there."

"Can you take me to Megaton?!"

"Boi look at you. You in no shape to be goin' to no Megaton!" Mojo said. "Raida's be lookin' for you and you be blue in a sea of sand!"

"I don't care! My dad's out here and could be dead for all I know!" Albert shouted back. "So tell me where Megaton is and I'll go there myself!"

Mojo laughed. Albert was ready to shoot him when he said. "Bout 4 hours away souhwes from here. Good luck boi."

Albert took out a snack bar and handed it to him. "Thanks," he said shortly.

"Betta hurry. It goin to get dark son and Megaton don't open its doors at night for nobody."

"I'll be quick." He said, taking his bag and running out of Mojo's valley.

Breathing heavily, Albert slowed down to a fast walk to catch his breath. Looking at his pip-boy, it was already 14:30. He'd been running for ten minutes straight but the earlier run to Mojo's had exhausted him and the bags shoulder strap was digging painfully into his shoulder.

Setting it down and taking out his canteen, he took a drink and saw that over half of it was gone, and he still had nearly four hours to go and this was all that was left of his water. He had to pace it like Mojo said. The air was warm and dry but wasn't blazing hot like it sometimes got in the reactor room, so he wouldn't need to hydrate too much, and hopefully Megaton had water that he could drink.

Wiping the sweat from his brow and shouldering the bag, he started walking. He'd walk the rest of the way, at a fast pace of course.

He hoped his dad was in Megaton and was safe, if what Mojo said was true and he didn't get to Megaton on time, then he and his dad were locked out from each other for the day. That thought brought another more worrying one, what if dad's already left Megaton? He'd have to ask around to find out where he went and with all this time that location could've changed. Or maybe he was captured by those raiders? Or whatever horrors were out here?

His pip-boy beeped a proximity warning, something that only happened when an unknown factor was within 5 meters of him. He hadn't paid attention to it in the Vault and hadn't expected it to start outside. He looked around when it attacked him from the side, biting his arm and knocking him down.

It was a dog, but nothing like the friendly playful critters showed in the education slides. This thing was vicious, with patches of missing fur and scabbed over skin, its eyes shone with the savageness of the wild beast he'd only seen in comics.

Its teeth hadn't gotten through the leather; he felt another set of teeth sink into his leg. The maintenance Vaults suits were designed for hazardous environments but still Albert cried out in pain. Punching the one on his arm and kicking at the second dog biting him, two yelps and they let go running away.

Getting up and taking out his pistol, he didn't feel himself bleeding, which was good, not knowing what diseases those things were carrying. He saw them circling around, one running left the other to the right. He fired wildly at the left one missing all three times as something else bit his leg. A third dog, he shot three times in the chest killing it.

Groaning, he saw the other two were coming closer. Firing two shots at he hit one, it yelped but didn't stop, hunger was driving it to ignore the pain. When his pip-boy went off again and found a fourth dog coming from behind him. He swung but only had time to whip it out of the air, another dog jumped on his back knocking him to his stomach.

He felt their teeth trying to tear at his flesh. he was flailing trying to get them off him, fear that he was going to die was clouding his mind, he trained to fight people not wild animals was the only thought that went through his head.

A gunshot rang out and one of the dogs gave a death yelp. Two more shots and two more yelps. Albert flipped over and got up aiming his pistol wildly against anything else trying to attack him.

"I told you, you dumb boi!" Mojo screamed approaching. "But you good mojo and I don' wanna see that go!"

Breathing heavily, Albert felt himself shaking. Panic had taken him and everything Herman had told him about keeping cool in a dangerous situation had left him. Dealing with Butch and the others had never been a problem, maybe because he'd grown up with them and never thought he'd have to hurt them.

"Now boi you dumb. You lookin' fo' your pa and you don' know how to look after youself. So how you ganna look fo' him when you dead?" Mojo asked.

"He could be dead already." Albert said in tears, how could his dad survive out here?

Mojo smacked him on the head. "Boi don' you go cryin over what you don' know boi!"

Albert wiped his eyes, Mojo was right. He remembered that his dad had lived out here before he was even born, probably grew up as a kid out here in the Capital, Wasteland, as Mojo called it. His dad probably knew all about the dangers out here, while Albert did not.

"Mojo. Can you make me not dumb out here?" Albert asked after calming down.

Mojo mouth opened in a wide toothless grin. Course boi! Now first thing you need to know is dinna!" He said putting two of the dogs over each of his shoulders. "Now pick up tha' otha one and let's go!"


	6. Chapter 6 A New Name

Sitting beside Mojo's cooking fire, Albert did a check of his equipment. The Tunnel Snake jacket was in tatters, he had six shots left in his gun, but four boxes of 10mm carrying a hundred each and a dozen magazines. A spare security outfit, one extra baton, his tool belt, a gun cleaning kit, and the medical kit that he'd taken out to sterilize the bites. Luckily though, they left an imprint, they didn't penetrate the skin. Albert started loading each spare magazine, better to be prepared from now on.

"Why you carryin' so much stuff boi? You know that stuff weigh you down." Mojo said, putting some dog meat on a stick, setting it in the fire.

"Didn't really have time to decide what to take." Albert explained how he'd come from Vault 101, and why he left in such a hurry.

"So yous really were fresh ou the vault!" Mojo laughed. "But boi, why you leave in the firs place? Soun like you have everythin in there?"

"Well, our intention was to always open the vault, just I was forced out of it a little early." Albert said, checking the sixth magazine.

"That jus it, why leave?"

Albert didn't reply immediately. Seeing how Mojo lived, eating dog meat and wearing tattered clothing, what would he think when he said it was because they were feeling stir crazy and wanted to see something outside?

"Because, we weren't allowed to leave. We were told that the outside was impossible to survive in and I never believed that was true. I wanted to see the outside. You think that's dumb right?"

"Not dumb." Mojo said. "Dangerous though. So you betta become not dumb if you wanna live ou' here!"

Albert nodded taking his canteen out. "Don't drink tha'!" Mojo shouted. Hurrying over to his trailer he came back with the plastic bottle filled with liquid. "Drink this."

"Why this water and not mine?" Albert asked suspiciously.

"So you get use to it." Mojo stated going back to the cooking meat.

Uncorking the bottle, it smelled like liquid dirt. Taking a small sip Albert grimaced, setting it down heavily, a dropped splashed on his pip-boy and the Geiger counter went off.

"Irradiated! You're having me drink irradiated water!" Albert shouted spitting on the ground.

"Boi don' you do spittin wata like tha!" Mojo chided. "It ain't ganna kill ya. At least not right off it will."

Scanning it with his pip-boy. The radiation was minimal; as long as he didn't binge on it, his body would be able to work out the isotopes.

"What do you mean, it won't kill me right off?" Albert asked taking a cautious sip. If Mojo was so old, and lived on this stuff, it couldn't be so bad?

"Boi always boil or filta any wata you get. It help, but you drink too much of that stuff and or drink it raw? You ganna be in a world of hurt. All that wata and themsome ganna come out the other side and that ain't good mojo."

Mojo took a stick out and smelled the meat, shaking his head he put it back on. "Boi check those other guns."

The .32 was in pretty good shape, needed cleaning but that was it. The Chinese pistol hammer was sticking and the trigger pull seemed heavier than it should be, setting it to the side, he started looking over the unknown rifle.

"Mojo what is this thing? I've never seen anything like it." It looked as if someone took wood and slammed a barrel in the middle and bolted it all together. It was bolt-action, but the rifle had no front or back sights, and using his pip-boy light to see the inside of the barrel saw that the thing had so much residue that he barely made out the rifling, no wonder Slag missed with it.

"That what called a huntin rifle ou' here boi." Mojo explained sniffing the meat again. "Lots a people be makin those outta what'ver parts they can. They be easy to make to. The yella freaks love makin them."

"Just take whatever round will fit in the pipe and rifle it?" Albert asked seeing it chamber the .32 rounds.

"The barrel's always stop at 24 inches." Mojo said. "Meats done! Eat!"

24 inches. Looking at it closer, Albert thought they must've been aiming these things in the images of the old model 70's, he read from Herman's books that they were considered the rifleman rifle back in the 1930's, and nearly three-hundred and fifty years later people seemed to still agree with that statement.

This was still one shoddy knockoff. "Mojo, you want this?" he asked holding up the Chinese pistol.

"Nah I got Wanda, she all I need." Mojo said through a mouthful of meat chewing with his mouth open. "Boi, learn to do two thing, eat and do that thing!"

"I'd have to move everything else, and I really don't want to do that." he answered taking the sights off the pistol, using his tools he bent the sights to fit the rifle and set it on. Checking it, the back sight lined up with the barrel, though without a front sight his accuracy was still going down, but better than nothing. He still needed to clean the damn thing, and that was going to take forever.

Moving to the fire, he picked up the piece of charred looking dog meat, ripping it in half to see the steaming cooked meat underneath. He took a bite, he'd never eaten real meat before, and didn't know how to describe it. It was very chewy, and rather bland tasting, but he had nothing else to compare it with, in the Vault everything was vegetable based except for the radroaches, and nobody ever thought of eating them.

He stopped thinking about it when his stomach growled. This was food and his stomach didn't care what it was, and neither did he. He stuffed his mouth full of dog meat, he just hoped his body wouldn't give him any problems later in time.

Washing down the meal with dirty water he asked, "Who's Wanda?"

"This here Wanda." Mojo said, patting his R91. "She got me out lots binds ou' here."

"May I ask why you're out here? You said Megaton is safe, are there any other places you can go?"

"Oh, they be lots place tha' safe. Megaton one, Rivet City the other. Canburry good to, so Arefu."

"You didn't answer my question?"

Mojo looked pained by memory. "I ain't home there. I'm home here."

"May I ask why not?"

"Just bad Mojo follow me. I don' want bad mojo gettin to good mojo. Stay out here, fight for good mojo, stop bad mojo when I can."

"So you're a wasteland guardian?" Albert said smiling at the thought of this crazy old man as some wandering protector.

Mojo smiled at that. "Wastland 'uardan. I like that boi, you make sure you let people know that what Mojo are!"

"You can stop calling me boy you know. I have a name."

"And I told you don' tell me it. Don tell any your real name boi that bring bad mojo. You come up with a name you willin to lose, name that won't bring bad mojo, say a name that bring good mojo, make bad mojo scared to say it. Bad mojo say Mojo and they hate it."

"You real name, bad mojo use that agains' you, find out who connected to that real name and go chasin after tha the good mojo. You don' want good mojo gone, too much good mojo gone as is."

So people like to hurt others via proxies out here. The Overseer liked doing that to people that questioned him, but that was just threats of slander, out here they just kill you. He had nobody out here that knew him by his real name, except his dad. If people did find out that they were father and son, and if his dad was fighting 'bad mojo' out here, that could mean the Capital wasteland would be a lot more dangerous.

And Mojo said to come up with a name he could afford to lose. He seriously didn't think anybody in their right mind would name their child 'Mojo', and he said a name bad people would hate to say. Those raiders had spoken Mojo's name in contempt, he didn't think they'd speak 'Albert' with such loathing if he started getting on their bad side, and 'Albert' or 'Al' just didn't sound all that intimidating. Those raiders tried to come up with harsh names, something to intimate or represent what they were: Slag, Face, and Freakshow, simple names to try and scare people.

Inspiration suddenly took hold of him. He remembered his old copies of Grognak The Barbarian, how in issue fifteen he escaped from the layer of the virgin eater upon a winged steed, with the beautiful virgin in tow. The horse had been kept in the dungeon, as a prized trophy, not allowed to spread its wings and fly in the open sky. Much like how he had been trapped in 101.

"Mojo you stop calling me boy. From now on. You can call me Pegasus."

Mojo and Pegasus ran together through the wasteland, Pegasus took Mojo's advice not to leave with so much gear on him carrying his pistol and the rifle that he painstakingly cleaned. He kept the emptied bag to his side in case of finding anything interesting. They stopped under the ruins of the elevated highway.

"You doin' good Peg'sus?" Mojo asked.

Pegasus stomach tightened up and made some noise. His body was still getting used to wasteland food. It was just stomach cramps though, no fever to indicate that it was something else. Getting dysentery out here would really be bad.

"Fine Mojo. Where are we going anyways?" Mojo hadn't said anything, just told him to get up and that they were going out.

"You need to see the waste for what is." Mojo said. "Come on."

"So why did we head north-west? If we're heading to those buildings you can see at your place why didn't we just take the roads?"

"Cause tha' dange'ous. That Fairfax, raida city that is. We goin' to take a look, but you need to know always take long way round and look at your enviment."

Pegasus nodded, that made sense, always try and find out where your enemy was. He still had trouble accepting that those people where enemies though, Mojo had called them 'bad mojo' but he didn't understand why.

They ran up a hill, overlooking the ruins of Fairfax. Most of the buildings were still standing though ruined from both time and the first attacks, and several of the ruined roads lead straight on through. Pegasus saw why people would settle there if given the chance.

Mojo took out a scope from his pouch. Adjusting it, he was silent for a minute as he scanned the ruins. "Look," he said, holding out the scope and pointing. Seeing what was interesting, Pegasus saw several people. Two of them were dragging one, struggling, by his arms.

Pegasus adjusted the scope, the man looked like he'd been through hell, his body covered in blood and black bruises. He kept talking. No, it looked more like begging. A bald raider in metal armor, with a large scar going across his head, grabbed the man by the chin before hitting him with spiked knuckles. Pegasus instinctively twitched. The bald raider took up a sledge hammer, Pegasus' heart started beating faster. He dreaded what was going to happen. The man was in tears, begging not to be killed. Pegasus couldn't make out the scream but he felt disgust as the raider swung the hammer, smashing half the man's head off. Blood and chunks of brain fell out of the corpse, and he saw the raiders laugh at the disgusting kill they just brought.

"See why it so dange'ous ou' here Peg'sus?" Mojo asked. "You fall in the hands of raidas is best you eat a bullet."

"Why?!" Pegasus disgustingly spat.

"Cause they bad mojo. Bad mojo do what it want, to who it want. For money, for fun, reason don't matter, bad mojo do what it will, cause if it can, it will."

"So those people think, just because they have the biggest guns, they can do whatever they want!?" Pegasus' outrage was making him shout.

"Calm down boi! Yes that exectly it!"

"They don't look so tough! My pistol can beat a sledgehammer!"

"Look again boi. And look closey this time."

Trying to ignore the gore that they hadn't cleaned up. Pegasus looked and saw machine gun nest watching the roads, those were BAR rifles, plenty of stopping power behind those. Looking through some of the broken windows, he saw patrols pacing through the upper floors of the buildings with R91's and Chinese type 93 assaults rifles over their shoulders. Now that he was looking, really looking, he guessed there where over fifty of them, heavily armed, and possibly more hidden in the ruins. He wouldn't win, that fact didn't calm his anger though.

"They send out patrols every one inwhile." Mojo said. "Lookin for people to take back or take to Pardise. Slaves are good business."

"Slavery? That's what happens out here? And what the hell currency could people possibly be using out here!?"

"Caps." Mojo calmly stated. "I have some at home. I show you when we get back. Let go."

Mojo started off. "Where are we heading?" Pegasus asked solemnly.

"Go get some wata. Can neva have too much of that!"

Pegasus ran behind him. "So you just watch a man get murdered, and you want to go for a drink?"

"Nothin I can do boi. Nothin you can do either." Mojo said running. "You best learn to pick you fights. Don' and you end up dead."

Mojo slowed down and so did Pegasus, they both heard it. A loud buzzing sound like a loud U.V light when close to it.

"You need see this." Mojo said drawing Wanda and creeping towards the noise.

"After the last thing you showed me, I'm not sure." Pegasus said, drawing his pistol, taking the rear.

It was just past the rocks, though Pegasus smelled it first, a rotting smell like that of decaying radroaches but many times worse. A rotting body with countless maggots the size of fingers were eating away at the openings of the corpses clothing, though Pegasus guessed they were over its entire body but he did not want to find out.

The buzzing was coming from what he guessed had hatched all those maggots. A blowfly, a common pre-war pest from what he read, no bigger than someone's thumbnail. This thing was the size of a soccer ball and moving fast. It noticed them and buzzed towards them protecting its nest.

Pegasus shot one round and blew the thing in half, its insides splashing on the ground, the image of the man's head exploding forced its way into his mind and he nearly threw up.

"Good job Peg'sus." Mojo said, going over to the body. Patting it down.

"Are you robbing the dead again!?" Pegasus gasped. Mojo rolled the body over, maggots spilling from his face, and an eyeball rolled out.

Pegasus did vomit. "He don' need it no more." Mojo said. He didn't seem phased by what he was doing. "Boi you really leave a corpse with what it have?" Mojo said squeezing a shotgun shell, tossing it aside when it crumbled.

"It just seems wrong." Pegasus said, catching his breath and wiping his mouth.

"Doin what you need do is not bad mojo." Mojo explained, picking up a sawed-off shotgun. "A corpse have no need of their weapon or supplies when they dead. What bad mojo is, is makin them dead so you can take their stuff."

"You did that to those raiders!" Pegasus shot back.

"Cause they ganna kill us." Mojo countered. He looked up from his looting and smiled his toothless smile. "You showin good mojo Peg'sus. I happy for tha'. But you dumb righ' now. And you need learn tha' out here, it kill or killed. And I ain't no raida, neither you, good mojo stop us from that."

"And what the hell's good mojo anyways!?"

"We talkin not shootin. Good mojo is I not shoot you in the back. You good mojo cause you not kill me in my sleep. Good mojo kill cause it has to, bad mojo kill cause it can.

"But you ganna need to be carefa' cause some people talk and they still bad mojo. Need learn see past them. You lose things don' do that."

Mojo looked like he said too much. He silently continued patting down the body. Pegasus worked up his courage and approached the body and knelt down next to Mojo. With shaking hands, he started patting, trying his best to keep his disgust down, when he felt wiggling underneath the man's shirt.

"There's nothing left, Mojo." Pegasus gagged, trying not to throw up again, opening his bag. "Throw that gun in here and let's go."

Mojo tossed in the shotgun and three shells that he salvaged and they continued on.

They ran south for nearly forty minutes, passing familiar landscapes until Pegasus recognized the scenic overlook from a distance.

"What are we doing back here?" Pegasus asked.

"Getting wata." Mojo said his chest was heaving as well. "I thirsty and some fo' home."

He pointed at on old water tower close to the ruined town where they first met. "What is that place anyways?" Pegasus asked.

"That called Springvale." Mojo said, emphasizing the G for Pegasus's benefit.

They slowed down, Mojo readied his gun and Pegasus did the same. Approach any danger area you're going into with caution. It was something he'd learn back in 101 with Herman, and it was now more important than ever. The drills Herman had taught him back when he was fifteen came rushing back.

"Wait here," Pegasus whispered. Looking confused, but nodding, Mojo let him go.

Taking cover behind some rocks, Pegasus slowly moved onward, though he didn't see anyone in Springvale, that didn't mean someone wasn't watching the way. The raiders had made him out before he'd even know they existed, and they could do it again.

Finally, after a minute, Pegasus thought they were safe. "Clear," he said, soft enough not to carry.

Mojo rushed forward to a pipe at the base of the water tower, taking out a plastic bottle from his belt. He sat it on the ground underneath the pipe, and did a little jig as he turned the valve.

A small drizzle of rust colored water spilled into the bottle, then it became a steady drip that was slowing down fast. "Good haul!" Mojo said excitedly, the bottle not even a quarter of the way full

If Mojo was excited by this, he'd die of shock seeing the faucets back in 101. Pegasus thought.

After several minutes, the drips stopped entirely. The bottle had just over a quarter of rust looking water. Rubbing the edge to get the last drop Mojo never looked so happy.

"That good Peg'sus. Makin sure it safe. Hope you not dumb no more!" Mojo said laughing.

"So do I Mojo." Pegasus said.

They headed back to Mojo's home when Mojo stopped at the top of a hill. He crouched down and Pegasus did the same.

"What?" Pegasus whispered.

"Mole rat." Mojo whispered pointing.

He saw it standing on its hind legs. It reminded him of the pink pigs of his childhood stories, though this pig had large claws on all four of its legs, and large teeth that looked as though they could chew through pipe in one bite.

"Use the rifle and shoot it in head." Mojo whispered.

"Why?" Pegasus was confused. They still had two dogs in storage. Did they need any more food? Apparently so.

"Cause it good food." Mojo said shortly. "Don't worry, they be a lot of them in the Capt'al Wasteland."

Readying his rifle, he remembered back when he was ten, how Jonas had taken a picture of him and his dad when he first shot a radroach. 'Big game hunter' his dad had called him. Well that mole rat was a lot bigger than a radroach and this rifle a lot more powerful than a little BB gun.

Lining his sights he fired. The bullet went wide to the left, hitting the ground by the mole rat, startling it. It noticed them and hissed a warning. Glad it didn't run away, he readjusted his sights, chambered another round, and shot. This time hitting it in its head, killing it instantly.

"Nice shot. Now pick it up." Mojo said.

"Why do I have to carry it?" Pegasus asked.

"Cause you young!"

Rubbing the weight out of his shoulders. Pegasus lay on the ground looking up at the grey clouds. Every once in awhile, a ray of sunshine popped out from that curtain of grey, letting him see the thing that he'd longed to see as a child. He hoped to relax for a few minutes before whatever else they did.

"Peg'sus come here, you need know this!" Mojo said from his trailer.

Working his way slowly to the trailer. He saw Mojo had two plates one in each hand, and each had one piece of meat on them.

"See tha'?" Mojo asked.

"What?" he asked.

"The pin' one." Mojo indicated the pink meat on the left plate. "That dog meat. This one," raising the right, that held a deep red piece of meat, "this Mole Rat, don' have no mirelurk, but you know tha' one when you see it, it white."

"Okay. Are they good to eat?" Pegasus asked wondering what Mojo was getting at.

"They good. But you need know what meat you eatin. Three I just said, most common meat eaten by people. Now anyone ever give you really bright red meat, that people! Don't eat that, that really bad Mojo!"

It took him a second to get what Mojo was saying. "Cannibalism?" Pegasus asked.

Mojo nodded. "Some people be hunted other people, you be careful of that."

Mojo set the plates on the ground away from the steps. "Come in here peg'sus."

The trailer was pretty small, it barely fit two people. There was a bed roll and dirty blanket to one side, with a shelf with all sorts of items, and a working freezer that took up the other half of the trailer.

Curious how the thing was working without a plug in. Pegasus saw a fission battery jury-rigged to its power supply.

"You do that. It's impressive." Pegasus said admiring the ingenuity

"No I don' do that. Found it like that." Mojo said, picking up something from the shelf. "This money." He said, holding out his hand.

Taking it, Pegasus was surprised to find old bottle caps in his hand. "Really?"

Mojo nodded. "Caps be hard to come by, nobody can make 'im, so no fakes. Can' eat 'im, can' shoot 'im, so they make good med'um fo' trade."

"Thanks. I'll keep an eye out for them." Pegasus said handing them back. He saw Mojo carefully put them in a lunch box, and move some wires back in place.

"Booby trapped? Pegasus asked.

"Don' go stealin my stuff." Mojo warned.

"Don't intend to ever. I'm good mojo remember." He felt his stomach starting to gurgle, and not in a hungry way. "You got a bathroom."

"Hole in the back. Not the big one, lil one."

'What's the big one for?" Pegasus asked, finding the small hole dug deep with a pile of dirt next to it. He took off the cod piece as well as his security vest, it was always hard to use the toilet wearing one of those things.

"That be my grave." Mojo stated.

Pegasus squatted and was silent until he voided his bowels. "Why did you dig your own grave? You intend on dying soon?"

"No." Mojo said through the trailer. "But day come I can' move too good, or I wounded and know I dead. I ganna take Wanda, put her under my head and 'all into tha' grave get buried and join Wanda."  
Feeling another wave go through his stomach, he hoped it wasn't dysentery. "You said Wanda twice."

Mojo didn't answer immediately. "She was my wife." He said finally. "Dead elven year now."

"I'm sorry." Pegasus said, truly sorry for his loss, and sorry that they were having this conversation while he was on the toilet.

"Not your fault. My fault. Didn' see bad mojo when I should, she did, took them out, died savin me though."

"This Wanda just as vicious as her! Been takin real good care of her. Belong to my Wanda see. And she want take care of me apparently."

He said it in such a sad disappointed tone. "You haven't gone to any towns yet cause you wanted to die out here didn't you?" God, he should shut up and finish this in a more dignified manner.

Mojo didn't seem to care about the situation. "Yep. Wanda and I lived back in the Capt'al ruins. Fightin yellows and robots and raidas. Took in some driftas, said we get them to Rivet city. They try rob us, Wanda used Wanda killed them all. Died fom' bullet wound and I had to leave her, yellows were comin."

"I didn't mean to push." Pegasus said, pushing out what he hoped was left of his stool.

"It alright Peg'sus. Anyway I go through all D.C. Fighting my way through yellows and ghouls, came out here, and found another group of driftas."

"You kill them?"

"No. They young, say they were looking for Big Town, so I help them. Wanda would want that. Help out who I can. Though you right, I was hopin they shoot me. But they scared youngins. Not like you, you brave youngin. all of you dumb though!"

Pegasus laughed. "You have anything to wipe?"

Mojo tossed an old book out the window. "Sorry, I fogot!"

"No problem Mojo." He said, ripping out the old worn pages. The lettering was so blurred and warped that the paper had no other use at this point.

Finishing up, he didn't feel any fever. He just hoped his body was getting used to dog meat and dirty water. He came around to see Mojo, Wanda sitting on his lap, with a content smile on his face.

"You alright Mojo?" Pegasus asked, a little worried.

"I fine." Mojo said. "ou wanna hold Wanda?"

"Sure." Mojo emptied the magazine and ejected the round then handed it to him. Wanda was extremely well maintained, from the look of how well Mojo had been taking care of her, he wouldn't believe that she was over two-hundred years old. May have gotten her out of a time locked Vault himself. The only thing out of place was on the stock, the name Wanda carved into it

"Very nice Mojo." He said, handing it back to him. "I see how she's been taking good care of you."

"You remember tha', and you gun take care of you to. Even if you don' want it to." Mojo said, smiling at his dark joke.

Pegasus and Mojo sat together in silence until finally a question that Pegasus was too curious to ignore. "So, if I may ask, how are you going to bury yourself?"

"Grenades under that big pile and trip wires in the grave. 'all and boom! Good thing you didn' take a shit in there huh?"

Pegasus laughed his first genuine laugh since he first met Mojo. "Yeah, good thing!"

Pegasus was sleeping outside again next to the dying embers of the fire to try and stay warm. He'd used the spare security vest as a pillow, and the Tunnel Snake jacket as a blanket, though one was uncomfortable, and the other let in the night chill. Mojo was sitting on the cliff-side next to the road. Keeping watch until the fire died down. Not wanting anyone to sneak up on them in the firelight.

Feeling his stomach gurgle, he told it to cut that out. The mole rat meat had been even more chewy, and even bitter tasting, but he had to get used to wasteland food. Lying on his back, he stared up at the cloudy sky, when a giant hole seemed to open between them basking the sky in stars.

Pegasus gasped at the beauty of it. Each one of those was a sun so many light-years away, each one as beautiful as the sun that greeted him when he left 101. The endless night sky, all full of possibility, all full of wonder.

The same as this world. For the first time, Pegasus had no regrets leaving 101, this small gap of a starlit sky shining its way through the clouds of atomic war was a sight that no amount of safety could ever match!

Though one thing pained him. He wished Amata was here, lying next to him, holding each other as they stared upon the night sky. He hoped that she was alright, that everything in the Vault was back to normal, and she was making progress. He closed his eyes and wished that when she dreamed, it would be the very sight that he had seen.

"Are you seeing this dad," he asked aloud. "When I find you, I'm going to smack you for denying me the sky."

Pegasus and Mojo headed out for water again the next afternoon, taking everything they could to fill up with them. They didn't go to Springvale this time, instead they headed back towards Fairfax, though giving the place a wide berth. Taking a back road, Mojo took them to an old car dealership with another water tower next to it.

"Don' like comin here cause it dangerous." Mojo said quickly, going through a crack in the fence.

In the distance, you could make out tiny dots of people moving in the Fairfax ruins, and if they could see them, then they could see as well. "Yeah, no kidding. Let's make this quick." Pegasus said.

Turning the valve, unlike Springvale, this one released a slow, but steady stream. Filling up each of his two bottles, and a flask, Pegasus filled his canteen up to the brim. Moving as fast as they came, they ran back to Mojo's,

"That everyday life out here Peg'sus." Mojo said as they ran. "Get wata. Get food. Find place to sleep. Repeat till you die."

"Thanks Mojo." Pegasus said, which he truly was. "Though can you help me out with one last thing when we get back?"

"Wha'?"

"You have any maps that I can use to navigate my way around the Capital wasteland?" Pegasus felt he'd lingered far too long with Mojo. He hadn't regretted the time together, but he needed to find his father before another day separated them.

"Yeah I got somethin." Mojo said.

Back at the trailer, Pegasus got a fire going and started boiling the water. Running it through the sand shifter and bottling as much as he could.

"Here they are!" Mojo said, waving old folded papers. "Map of the places I been, and places I know there people at!"

They were pre-war maps of D.C, though they had circles, and in messy writing were the names of the circles. Megaton, Rivet City, Arefu, Big Town, Canterbury Commons, Underworld, and Paradise Falls were all marked.

"This will be really helpful Mojo. Thank you." Pegasus said. Going over to where he hid his supplies, he took out his spare Vault vest. "I want you to have this."

"Nah, you keep it." Mojo said. "Don't like that thing, too dark, give me away."

Mojo took off his goggles and offered them to Pegasus. "You take these though. They bullet proof from old power armor."

"No, you keep them! I don't want to take your protection." Pegasus said. "Once again, thank you."

"It no problem. Though you should leave tomorrow mornin. It ganna get dark soon, and it dangerous out at night."

"Yeah, we did start late. I'll go to bed early, try and get going at first light."

Pegasus woke in the darkness of night. Looking at his Pip-boy, it said 1:45 A.M, he blinked because the pip-boy light wasn't on, and he was reading it like it was daylight.

He looked up and was wide awake. Not a cloud in the sky! And a full moon. He got up quickly and ran to the trailer, even if Mojo had seen this hundreds or thousands of times he wanted to share this moment with somebody!

The trailer was empty. Mojo was gone and so was Wanda. The fire had died down to nothing when Pegasus had slept, and Mojo had always come down from watch when the fire died.

Pegasus could see nearly as far as he could in broad daylight, maybe Mojo thought a full moon was dangerous, didn't need a fire, or a light source, in order to see somebody when it was this bright.? He heard the sound of gunshots echo throughout the wasteland, familiar sounds of an R91, and unknown gunshots. Quickly putting on his Vault gear, he slammed down the visor, loaded his rifle, and ran towards the sounds.

He made it to the road when they stopped, looking at his pip-boy to get the direction, the noise seemed to have come from the east, so he started running that way. Leaping over mounds of sand, and dead shrubbery, hoping to hear something to indicate where he should go.

He stopped when he heard voices talking to each other. Sounded like four of them, walking out in the middle of the night, jolly, talking to each other, he heard one of them laugh. He hid and bolted a round just in case. Hiding, and moving silently, he saw that they wore dark clothing, looking to be made out of some sort of leather. Two of them were carrying hunting rifles, and one had a R91.

"Can't believe we bagged one. I love a full moon!" A dirty blonde woman said, howling to the sky.

"Don't be so loud," a tall man with a hoarse tone said, "we just need to find some buyers soon."

They were some wandering merchants. Pegasus sighed quietly. He didn't want to sneak up on them. He quickly, but quietly, made his way back up the hill, and back on the broken road. He didn't want to shock them by sneaking from behind.

"Excuse me." Pegasus said, walking towards them, making it look like a chance encounter. They looked a bit shocked to see someone else out here. "I just heard some gunshots. You know what's going on?"

"Oh, that was just us." The man said. "We're doing a little late night hunting. Mole rats are surprisingly active at night."

"Hey, where you from? I've never seen clothing like that before?" The woman asked, pointing at Pegasus' Vault attire.

"Megaton." Pegasus lied, just to be safe. "Did some trading of mole rats and dog meat to get this. Though I think I gave too much up, I'm a bit hungry, and Megatons doors are shut."

"Well, you're in luck!" A man said cheerfully. "We just bagged some fresh meat. You're never going to get anything fresher out here!"

Pegasus didn't lift the visor or set down his gun, he wanted to be ready just in case. The visor also allowed his eyes to wander and look over these hunters without suspicion. He noticed a pair of goggles dangling from the blondes' waist, and he thought he could make out carvings in the R91 over the other's shoulders.

"Here, it's still warm too." One said, taking out an old plastic bag. "Just be 20 caps a bag."

In the pale moonlight, Pegasus saw the meat was bright red.

A strange feeling washed over him, fury and tranquility mixed together, his body didn't shake, he felt no fear. He threw the meat into the hunters face, and raised the rifle to the blonde's head and pulled the trigger, the bullet blew half her head off.

Throwing the rifle at another hunter, he drew his pistol, and shot two of the hunters three times each, in the chest, dropping them both. The fourth hunter recovered, and shot Pegasus twice, once in the chest, the other in the face, knocking him to the ground.

Pegasus glanced up, and shot him once in the shoulder, and another in the liver.

Getting up, there was a great pain in his chest, and his faceplate was cracked, the security armor had done its job. Ignoring the pain, he checked that the three of the hunters were dead. The other was groaning on the ground, holding his stomach. He was trying to pick up his gun. Pegasus kicked it away from him, then kicked him on the back. Going over to the dead hunter with the R91, he saw carved on the stock of the gun: 'Wanda'.

Any guilt he may have felt for what he just did was replaced with rage, and dread. Ripping the goggles off the girl's belt he stood over the one survivor.

"Where did you get these?" he asked.

"Tooth fairy." the hunter groaned.

Pegasus stepped on the belly wound, the hunter let out a painful scream. His fury permitting him to do horrific things. "Where!"

"Some old fuck! Alright! He was out on the road, figured no one would miss him."

Pegasus twisted his foot, the hunter screamed in agony. "Where did you leave him?!"

"In some rocks down that way! What the fuck was he to you, your dad?" he gasped pointing in the direction they had come from.

"That was Mojo!" Pegasus screamed.

"Wait a minute, we actually bagged that slippery old fuck? Man, Paradise and Evergreen are going to be so happy!" The hunter smiled through his bloody mouth.

Pegasus took off that instant, stopping only to quickly pick up the weapons, removing the bolts from the rifles, and the cylinders from the revolvers. He thought of killing the last hunter, but decided against it, he'd be dead in twenty minutes anyways, the shot was fatal.

He ran when he was sure that he wasn't going to get shot in the back. Running past the point where he first heard the hunters, he ran looking for 'some rocks' which were nearly everywhere. Pegasus kicked himself, his emotions clouded his judgment, and he was looking on half-baked information, the hunter could've been lying for all he knew.

He smelled something, the copper smell of blood, a smell that he was familiar with from the fights he'd gotten in with the Tunnel Snakes, and from his dad's office. He calmed down, and followed the smell to a patch of large rocks. His stomach lurched, and he fell to his knees.

Mojo's body had been cut open. His intestines were hanging over to the side of the bloody stump where his left leg had been. He saw the bloody femur bone picked clean of meat, tossed in the dirt to the side. Approaching his friend, Pegasus moved Mojo's head to see the bullet wound had gone straight in with no exit wound. His death was quick, he wasn't alive when they carved him up.

Small comfort. His tears fell freely as he marked the spot with his pip-boy. The thing had a built in map marker. Useful for setting destinations within the Vault, or tracking your steps when trying to figure out how many steps it takes to get to the end. The map showed nothing but a black screen. It hadn't been programmed for the outside world. It could still remember the marks though.

He left Mojo's body, he didn't run, for some reason his legs wouldn't allow it. He walked quickly back to where the hunters were. The dying one was moving slowly, his skin was turning a sickly pale from the blood loss. He can die slowly. Gathering their weapons, and ignoring the man's pleas, he went back to Mojo's trailer. Stuffing the weapons underneath it, he grabbed Mojo's blanket.

Wrapping Mojo in the old blanket, Pegasus headed back to the trailer with the body. Hearing a faint scream, he saw several dogs eating the bodies of the hunters. One had its jaws sunk into the neck of the one Pegasus left alive. They growled at him as he passed, but stopped when they realized he wasn't going to interrupt their meal. Pegasus thought it fair, they wanted to feed on the flesh of humans, and now their flesh was being fed on. Though it sickened him when he thought of the dogs eating away at the pieces of Mojo they had taken with them.

He stood over the grave, feeling guilty that there was no more dignified way to do this. He dropped Mojo's body into the hole, hearing the wires snap as his body set off the burial trap. The explosion knocked Pegasus off his feet, and caused his ears to ring.

"A little excessive Mojo." Pegasus said chuckling. He didn't know why it was funny, but for some reason Mojo knocking him on his ass as a final farewell was humorous to him.

Mojo had planned it well. The dirt had fallen into the hole burying him in an unmarked grave by an abandoned trailer.

Exhaustion and grief took Pegasus, and he slept next to the fresh grave. Waking up to a grayish orange sunrise, he took Wanda from across his shoulders, and nearly sat her upon the grave:

 _I ain't ganna need it_. The voice of Mojo echoed in his head. Mojo had told him to take whatever you can from the dead to keep living, to not feel bad for killing bad people, and to keep being smart. To leave Wanda here with him, though a grand gesture, he could hear Mojo screaming at him: _"You dumb boi!"_

He stripped Mojo's trailer down of everything he could possibly use. Finding the sawed-off shotgun and spare shells, the rigged lunchbox that had caps and two grenades wired to it. He couldn't take the frozen meat with him, though the thought of meat made him feel queasy. He loaded what he could into his bag. It was heavy, heavier then when he first met Mojo. That seemed a long time ago. As a final gesture, he found a flat stone, and with a piece of scrap metal, he carved a tombstone out of it. Setting it on Mojo's Grave:

 **Here Lies Mojo:**

 **The Wasteland Guardian.**

 **"I would've died in the first hour of my stepping out of the Vault, if not for you Mojo. Thank you. You saved my life then, and you've saved my life in more ways than I can imagine by showing me the Capital Wasteland. Thank you, Wasteland Guardian."**

Not much of an epitaph, but Pegasus swore to himself that he would never forget Mojo, and the kindness that he showed to a stranger in a dangerous land. Swinging his bag over his shoulder, he headed off for Megaton.


	7. Chapter 7 Megaton

Following Mojo's map, he was surprised just how close Megaton really was to him. Back at the beginning, the map showed the quickest way to Megaton was through Springvale. When he got there, the bodies of the three raiders were gone, and so was the enclave eye-bot. He guessed scavengers picked at whatever they could use.

The dirt path was well worn, indicating that the drawings that Mojo made were the trade paths and roadways that the majority of people used to get from place to place. Pegasus didn't really like that it was well known, he felt more exposed out here now.

"Don't panic. Don't let paranoia get to you." Pegasus told himself. Since he left, he'd been looking over his shoulders expecting someone to start shooting him. That wasn't doing him any favors, and even with Mojo's vigilance he still had gotten killed. He needed to start acting casual, unless, of course, paranoia was casual out here.

As he walked up a steep hill, he heard the grinding sounds of machinery. Seeing large metal walls of scrap, he saw what was making that noise, an old plane turbine that was opening solid metal gates. A man wearing a jacket with forks, butter knives, keys, and even old bottles of turpentine stepped out, along with another person wearing dark leather armor and carrying an R91. The strangest thing of all, was what was between them, a two headed cow that looked as though its skin had been blasted off. He stopped to turn towards the protectron guarding the gates.

 _"THANK YOU FOR VISITING MEGATON. PARTNER."_ the protectron said.

"And a pleasure to you as well, deputy Weld!" He said. "Though I am sad that Lucas won't allow Moira to install that toaster in your chest."

" _HAVE A NICE DAY."_ Weld said.

"Excuse me." Pegasus said walking up to the man.

"Ah. Welcome to Crazy Wolfgang's. Where I sell an assorted amount of garbage, junk, and crap."  
"Isn't it bad to refer to your own stuff as crap?" Pegasus asked.

Crazy Wolfgang laughed. "Not at all when that's what you're selling. Would you like to take a look at my wares?"

He hit a latch on one of the packs dropping it revealing an assortment of all kinds of oddities: a pool ball, an old pipe, dishes and utensils, and many things that Pegasus had trouble recognizing.

"Why carry all this?"  
"Because I'm the craziest Wolfgang around! I'm the caravan of Garbage! And I have what people want! Assuming of course they're looking for the kind of junk that I got." He finished laughing.

"You're crazy."

"In my name!"

"Do you take guns?" Pegasus asked, wanting to get rid of his hunting rifles.

"Sorry, but no. You want my colleague, Lucky Harith. He specializes in what he calls 'problem solvers'. If you're looking to sell those try Craterside Supply. Moira takes in all kinds of things."

"Thank you." Pegasus said, heading for the entrance.

He saw a hand shoot up from behind some rocks. A man in tattered clothes, and scarred face, pulled his way over the rocks. He reeked of dirt, and looked as though he crawled his way to this point. rasping something that Pegasus couldn't make out. Walking over to him he stood a few feet away from the man.

"Wa..." he rasped.

"What?" Pegasus asked. he wasn't about to get too close to a stranger.

"Wa...ter. Please." He managed to whisper.

Taking out one of Mojo's old plastic water bottles, he uncorked it, and poured a little in the man's mouth. The man made a desperate grab for the bottle, Pegasus pushed him to the ground.

"Sorry!" He blurted out, gasping as though he'd been suffocating as well. "Oh thank you! I haven't had a drink in days." He tried to stand up, but his legs couldn't hold him, and he sat on the ground.

"What happened to you?" Pegasus asked.

"Raiders. They caught me over by the old school, had me and a few others digging when we hit an ant nest."

"An ant nest? That doesn't sound too bad?" Pegasus said.

"I wish I was as brave as you. There was chaos and I managed to slip out of there. Didn't get very far though. The pricks were starving us and only giving several sips of water a day. I think that's the most I've drank in a week."

"Your exaggerating." If that was true, the man would've been dead a long time ago from dehydration. The raiders gave him just enough to continue working, but not enough to actually quench his thirst. "Still, I'm glad you're alright."

"Your glad? You don't even know me?" The man seemed genuinely confused.

"Still no reason not to help out a stranger in need."

"My name's Micky." He said. "What's your name?"

"Pegasus."

"That, is a really strange name." Micky said. "But now it doesn't feel so strange that you helped me, now that we know each other."

"Whatever makes you feel better." He handed Micky the bottle. "Take another drink."

Micky drank the entire bottle. Pegasus was glad he still had the other, and a near full canteen.

"You are a lifesaver Pegasus." Micky said. "I'm going to rest here, and get my strength back before I move."

"Your right next to Megaton?" Pegasus pointed out.

"I know. But I got no money to spend there. This place is safe, Stockholm watches out for any trespassers."

Pegasus looked where Micky was pointing to see a man standing above the turbine with biker goggles and a sniper rifle in hand, he didn't acknowledge Pegasus or Micky. "You sure that guy is good at watch?"

"Believe me. If he thought you were a threat, you'd be dead already." Micky said leaning against some rocks.

Pegasus hoped that was true, then again he hoped that Stockholm never perceived him as a threat ever. "Is there anything-"  
Pegasus heard Micky snoring. He must feel safe to sleep outside the gates. Pegasus just hoped it was as safe inside.

 _"WELCOME TO MEGATON."_ Weld greeted. _"THE BOMB IS PERFECTLY SAFE. WE PROMISE."_

That didn't make Pegasus feel safe at all.

The downward slopes, and the rising buildings, and ramps of scrap metal, and old plane parts, made all of Megaton to look as though it was built upon layers of stacked planes. The air reeked of metal and moisture was in the air. That was a familiar feeling, he remembered back in the Vault how sometimes the pipes started to leak, making the rooms in the Vault hot and humid. From how scarce Mojo made water seem, either Megaton was lacking in maintenance, or they were flaunting it.

A man in a dirty green long coat, with a shiny star badge upon his breast, came towards him. His dark skin, and harsh face, were in contrast with the kind smile he gave towards Pegasus.

"Well I'll be damned, another newcomer." He greeted. "Names Lucas Simms. I'm the Sheriff of Megaton."

"A pleasure to meet you Sheriff, my name's Pegasus." Pegasus said, holding out his hand. For some reason, he felt he could trust Lucas. He had the same kind of presence his dad had, an aura of trust that emanated the moment you met him.

"Good mannered and friendly." Lucas smiled, shaking his hand. "I think you'll fit right in."

"You said another newcomer, was there someone else wearing a Vault uniform like me?" Pegasus asked.

"Yes actually, older gentleman, also showed good manners. I've come to expect it from you guys down in the Vault." Lucas said.

"Guys? Are you saying there have been more?" He knew his dad and himself were outsiders, but just how many people have left the Vault in the past?

"About eight of you. Last I figure. You even had an embassy here at one point, until Mrs. Taylor had to leave."

"Agnes Taylor?" Pegasus asked. He remembered her telling all kinds of strange stories back when he was a kid.

"Yeah that's her. I was in my twenties then, a deputy to my father."

Eight others, and at least one was living in the Vault at the time. "Fucking Overseer!" he muttered.

"You know, all of you from the Vault complained about someone called an Overseer, take it he's a bad man?"

"We were told that the outside world was impossible to survive in. Yeah, he's bad mojo alright." He was getting sidetracked. "Is the man you talked about still here?"

"No, he left two days ago." Lucas said. Pegasus' heart plummeted. "I don't know where he went, but I do know where he was in town, Colin Moriarty's Saloon."

"Thanks, I'll go talk to Colin."

"Word of advice. Do not trust anything that man says to you." Lucas warned. "That man is a slippery weasel who will pretend to be your best friend, then stab you in the back."

"Thanks for the warning." Pegasus said, hefting the bag. "I was told there's a place where I can sell this?"

"Craterside Supply." Lucas said pointing to a building on the second story to the right. "And Moriarty's is right there. Though I'm sure you can see the sign." Pointing at the highest building overlooking the entire town, in big white letters were: Moriarty's Saloon.

"Thanks sheriff. If I may ask, who's in charge here."

"Me." Lucas replied. "I'm the Sheriff, Mayor, greeter, damn near anything should the need arise, and just so you know, Moira Brown is a bit...eccentric."

"I heard she wanted to put a toaster in that robot outside."

"Yeah she's being normal right now, but don't spend too much time with her, if you value your sanity."

A horrid smell hit Pegasus as he entered Craterside Supply. The only thing he could compare it to was a vault suit being set on fire, after it had been soaked in grease, and sewer waste, for several days. A smoky haze filled the entire building as far as he could see. A man leaned against the wall, his face scowled by the stench, glaring at Pegasus standing in the open doorway.

"Can I leave this open?" Pegasus asked trying not to cough.

"I'm just here to protect the merchandise." He said. "Ask that crazy lady. But if it were up to me, please do!"

"Hey!" A cheery voice said from above. "I'll be right with you in a moment, I think my experiment was a success!"

Usually if something smelled like burning garbage, it was rarely considered a success, Pegasus thought. She came down, her dark red hair had a grease shine to it, and her face was darkened with soot. She had a sharp look. Her skin looked sunken, like nearly everyone else he'd seen so far, from lack of water. She smiled and attempted to wipe the soot from her face, only smearing it.

"Hey! I just finished with my experiments!" Moira smiled. "Try one and tell me what you think!"

She set the plate on the counter, taking one of the balls, and offering it to her guard, who vehemently shook his head. She took a bite and contemplated as she chewed.

Not wanting to be rude, Pegasus picked up a ball. He expected it to be a charred husk but it was surprisingly soft. Ripping it open, he saw that it was some sort of greyish meat. Taking a bite, he gagged on the taste, and spit it into his hand.

Moira swallowed and rubbed her belly. "It does still taste like old feet, but at least it settles easier." She said in cheerful contemplation.

"What is it?" Pegasus eyes were tearing up from how bad it was.

"Radroach meat!" Moira answered. "It's plentiful, and easy to find, but hard to digest. So now I just have to wait to see if it comes out easier. Oh, I hope this works! So far I think it is."

"I'll stick to dog." Pegasus said, taking a drink.

"I know it doesn't taste like Brahmin, but it really can help people out in the wasteland. That way they can keep the food down in them, instead of it forcing its way out." Moira said, stepping behind the counter. "Hey! You're from that Vault!"

"What gave that away?" Pegasus asked, putting the bag on the counter.

"Well, you are wearing one of those vault uniforms silly!" She said. Sarcasm apparently didn't work on her. "I even had one custom made!"

She pointed to an old Vault 101 uniform displayed behind her. It looked very faded, but it also had reinforced armor at key areas of the body. It looked like it could be worn over a security vest.

"Where did you get that?"

"Oh, this woman came in several years ago, looking for improvements on her Vault uniform. So I took it, and added a few gizmos, and doodles, and now its bulletproof! Well, okay, not bulletproof, but the first few bullets won't kill you."

"The word your looking for is resistant." Pegasus said taking out the hunting rifles. "I hear you're the person who I can sell things to. How much can I get for these?"

He handed her one of the rifles, and with the skill of countless repetition, she did a weapons check on it so quickly she grabbed a screwdriver and started taking it apart while humming to herself.

"Well the bore is in definite need of cleaning on this one." Her tone was as cheerful as ever. "The bolt likes to stick. Oh, it's rusted, that can lead to problems. The woods rotting in the middle, another shot, and this thing could fall apart in your hand. That wouldn't be very nice!"

She quickly reassembled the gun, and did a thorough examination over the others, all while singing to herself. "I can give you a hundred and thirty-four caps for all of these!"

He didn't know if that was a lot or not. "Deal."

"Super duper!" Moira said, putting the guns down behind the counter. After a minute coming back up with several stacks of chips. "Here's fifty, and fifty, and thirty-four! Now how about you be nice, and spend it back in my store?"

"Maybe later. I still need to see the rest of the town." Pegasus replied pocketing the caps.

"Just one moment. Can you tell me about the Vault?"

"Sure." Pegasus said unsure of Moira's intention. If she's dealt with people from the Vault in the past, what did she need to know from him? "I can tell you a bit about the vault."

"Great!" She sounded jubilant. "Tell me what it's like living underground and seeing the outside for the first time! Or whatever else strikes your fancy?"

"Oh, the outside place is great; in the main room, I can't even see the ceiling!" Pegasus joked.

"Hah! Yeah, you wouldn't imagine how hard it is to replace that big light bulb up there too!" Moira joked along. "That would be a good forward for my book- opening with a joke, you know something, you want that Vault suit?"

"You're just going to give it to me, why?" Pegasus asked.

"Because something tells me you're going to need it." Moira said taking it down. "It's been in this shop for ten years now, and since the original Vault dweller hasn't come to pick it up, I told myself to give it to the next Vault dweller who showed up, and now here you are!"

She took down the suit, and handed it to him. Pegasus felt the chest, and realized that this thing was more armored then he thought, but still lighter then he would imagine it would be. "Thank you, Miss Brown."

"Just call me Moira silly." Moira said blushing. "No need to be all formal. By the way, what's your name?"

"Pegasus."

"That's a beautiful name! So Pegasus how'd you like to help me out with my book? I can pay you and it'll be fun!"

"I-" he wanted to say no, but how could he, after she just gave him a new suit of armor for nothing? "I-can't. I'm sorry Moira, but I'm looking for my dad, and I've already spent a lot of time out in the waste, just learning how to survive out there on my own. So I don't know where he could be or if he's dead. I need to find him."

"A runaway dad huh? Well there's a lot of them out in the waste." Moira sympathized. "And you said you're still trying to survive, well that's what the book is all about! I'm calling it the Wasteland Survival Guide, and what I need is someone to go out there and bring back practical knowledge of how to survive."

"That sounds like a great idea Moira." He meant it, if he had gotten a guide back in the beginning, perhaps Mojo would still be alive. "And when I find my dad, if you're still looking for help, I'll gladly help you."

"You will?" Moira sounded shocked. "Most people laugh at my idea of The Wasteland Survival Guide, you'll actually help!?"

"I promise, when I know my dad's okay."

That was enough for her. She started jumping up and down in joy. "thankyouthankyouthankyou! You have no idea how much that means to me!"

Pegasus smiled, Moira's cheerfulness was infectious. He'd never seen anyone so happy before, he waved goodbye, and left with the armored Vault suit stuffed in his bag.

The thick haze of cigarette smoke, and the stench of booze, filled Moriarty's saloon. the sounds of glasses, and chatter, reminded him of the cigar lounge and cafeteria back in 101. Though back in the Vault, not everyone was carrying some type of gun. Seeing an open stool at the counter, he sat down waiting to be served. An old radio was off next to him, curious, he turned the dial to hear only static.

"Hey, don't touch that." A raspy voice said, it sounded like someone took sandpaper to his throat. "Moriarty doesn't like anyone messing with the radio."

Pegasus looked at who said that, and jumped in shock. The man's flesh looked dried and cracked, and that was on the parts that even had flesh, in several places Pegasus could see muscle tissue. He wondered why he wasn't screaming in agony of the exposed nerves instead of looking offended.

"What never seen a ghoul before?" he asked.

Pegasus was still finding his voice so just shook his head.

"Really? Oh, you're from the Vault." he said looking at his outfit.

"Yes, I am. Sorry if I offended you." Pegasus said taking out two caps and sliding them over to the ghoul.

"So, what do you want to drink?" he asked, looking suspiciously at the caps.

"Well, what do you have to offer sir?" Pegasus said, being polite.

"Sir? Nobody's ever called me sir before? It's always zombie, or freak, or rotting corpse, or stupid bastard." He muttered.

"What's your name?" Pegasus asked.

"I'm Gob." he said introducing himself.

Pegasus offered his hand. "Nice to meet you Gob. I'm Pegasus."

Gob smiled through blackened teeth, shaking his hand Pegasus saw that Gob's hand was also missing some of his skin. "Wow! You're one of the few people to treat me like a person in forever!"  
"Not true Gob sweetie." A silky voice said behind Pegasus. "Don't I count? Or what about that gentlemen from a few days ago?"

"What gentlemen are-" Pegasus stated turning towards the voice, the rest getting caught in his throat when he turned to face large breasts pushed tightly together in a pale blue jacket. Pegasus looked down to avert his eyes, feeling himself blush. He started looking up to talk to her, her stockings were torn in places, revealing smooth legs leading up to a petite body, past her chest to a beautiful face of pale blue eyes, and hair of fiery red, cut short.

"Like what you see handsome?" She asked seductively, rubbing her hand on Pegasus' leg. "Hundred and twenty caps, and you can see a lot more."  
He felt himself swell at her suggestion, the thought of Amata stopped him from entertaining any of those thoughts. "Sorry, not interested miss." His thought turning to Amata seductively pulling off her jumpsuit didn't help any though.

"That's too bad." She said, but she didn't sound disappointed, she actually sounded kind of relieved instead. "Well, if you ever change your mind handsome, just ask for Nova." She winked. "How about a drink Gob?"

"You know the rules, Nova." Gob said, taking out a bottle marked whiskey, and a clean glass filling it.

"Yeah, I know." She whispered, taking a drink. She jumped when someone grabbed her ass from behind.

"Hey Nova baby, you got the time for me?" He asked.

Nova closed her eyes before forcing herself to smile, and turned towards the man. "Of course Jericho, if you got the caps?"

He held out a bag. "Course I do baby, you worth every one." Jericho roughly pushed Pegasus on the shoulder. "Get out of my seat, asshole!"

"I was talking to these two before you interrupted. When we finish our conversation, then I'll leave!" Pegasus said turning towards Gob. "May I get a glass of water, please?"

"Thirty caps." Gob Muttered.

"Seems a bit much?" Pegasus said. Jericho laughed, and so did half the bar.

"Look at this Vault Asshole!" Jericho shouted pointing. "This fucker must think water out here is free, just like back in his little cubby hole. Just look at him!" Jericho pinched Pegasus's cheek, Pegasus knocked away his hand. "Oh, The water fat asshole thinks he's got some fight in him? Throw a punch asshole, let's see what you got."

"You first, you're the one starting this, old man." Pegasus said, standing up and gauging Jericho. He was old, possibly in sixties, like others his skin was rough and leathery, but also deeply scarred from years of surviving out here. His bulk underneath his leather outfit showed strong muscles, and his scarred knuckles told of a man who fought a lot in the past, Pegasus guessed Jericho must've fought all his life out here.

Jericho grabbed Pegasus by the collar, leaving his chest wide open, Pegasus delivered a blow to the ribs before knocking Jericho's arm away and pushing him to the floor. An unorthodox Vault takedown.

Pegasus got into a defensive position. "I don't want to fight you Jericho."

Jericho coughed and stood up, cracking his neck. "Then your just a Vault pussy!" He said, throwing a punch.

It was good, Jericho did know what he was doing, but Pegasus had been dodging a boxers punch for years, and Jericho was leaving his sides open. Backing up, letting Jericho overextend before elbowing him in the ribs again, and tripping him to the ground.

Nobody was laughing anymore, instead there where murmurs, and people pointing at Pegasus. "We don't have to do this. Just give me a few minutes, and I'll gladly give up the seat for you."

Jericho got up, and reached behind him. Pegasus instinctively went for his own pistol. "Jericho, you can have my seat!" An old man said. "I'm done drinking anyhow."

Jericho stopped what he was doing, glaring at Pegasus. "Well, it appears you're not such an asshole after all." He said, walking past Pegasus. "You're a pal, Nathen."

Jericho took the seat, Pegasus sat back in the corner stool, and the two people that were between them both decided that they had overstayed at the bar and got up and left. Leaving Nova between the two of them.

Gob turned on the radio, hearing nothing but static. "Come on you piece of junk!" he said hitting it a few times. "Work!"

"It's not the radio, Gob. The Enclave Station comes in fine. It's Galaxy News, their signals been shit lately." Nova said.

Gob ignored her and continued hitting the top. "Work Damnit!"

"Knock it the fuck off Gob! It ain't working!" Jericho snapped.

"Turn it to Enclave radio!" Nathen suggested. "I want to hear one of our Presidents' little chats!"

"Fuck off, Nathen!" Jericho said.

Pegasus could make out someone saying something over the sounds of static, but it was impossible to make out. Sighing in defeat, Gob shut it off. "So you still want that water?" He sounded disappointed.

"Sure." He said, taking out the thirty caps, setting them on the table by the other two. "Those two are yours you know."

"What for?" Gob asked.

"For being so rude to you."

Gob laughed and cheerfully poured a glass of water in a misty looking glass.

"If your done giving that fucker his water, hurry up, and get me a beer!" Jericho shouted.

Gob didn't lose his smile, as he pulled a dark bottle out from behind the counter, and a dirty glass. Pegasus smiled at how Gob handled things, he gave Nova the cleanest glass, Pegasus a clean glass, and Jericho one with stains and dust on it. Passive way to get back at assholes, but getting back nonetheless.

"So Nova, who's the gentleman you where talking about?" Pegasus asked. "I'm looking for a man who passed through here, from a Vault like me."

"James?" Nova said. "He was very kind to both Gob and myself, turned me down just like you did. He talked to Colin for awhile before heading out."

"Do you know where he went?" Pegasus tried to keep his voice calm, though his heart was beating a mile a minute.

"No." She said too quickly. Pegasus noticed both Gob and her didn't want to look Pegasus in the eye. "You're going to have to talk to Colin about that."

"And where's Colin?"

"Are you looking for me, my young friend!" A bulky man with thick dirty blonde hair, and goatee beard, stepped from a door that must've led to a storage area. Pegasus had no idea where to place his accent, just that whatever it was, was not from the Capital Wasteland.

"Name's Colin Moriarty, and I take it that you're looking for a friend? Step outside with me, and let's see if I can be your friend in need?"

"Okay?" Pegasus remembered what Lucas said, don't trust anything Colin says. He went towards the door, stopping when he saw someone wave from the corner of his eye. A man in an old business suit, and fedora hat, waved at him. He smiled at Pegasus, though with the dark glasses on, the smile looked more sinister then friendly.

Turning to see Colin, he saw him snapping his fingers at Gob, forcing Gob to hand over the two caps Pegasus had given him. He whispered something harshly at Nova before pointing at a room upstairs, and took the bag of caps from Jericho. Nova headed up the stairs with a solemn look on her face. Colin smiled friendly at Pegasus as he approached. "Let's chat."

They stood outside, overlooking the entire city of Megaton. Pegasus looked down to see an atom bomb in the center of town, and a man with his hands raised in praise of it.

"Don't want to talk in there. Too many gossipers about." Colin said. "Now I take it you want to know about your dad, right?"

Pegasus was glad his back was facing Moriarty. Taking a second to compose himself. "He was a Vault doctor, doing important experiments. I've been sent to reacquire him."

"Don't play the agent man with me boy. I saw the resemblance between the two of you the moment you walked in." Colin said, putting a gentle hand on his shoulder. "I haven't seen you since you were a babe."

"We've met before?"

"Yep. Your father, and some paladin, came into town almost twenty years ago now. Trying to get his way into the Vault, with you in tow. Take it he didn't want his only child to come out here in the wastes. Looks like that failed!"

He laughed at the predicament. "I can see why. Heard what brainwashing they do down there. And seeing your little scuffle with Jericho, I take it you weren't one to cooperate with that?"

"Yeah." Pegasus agreed.

"And you beat him with a raging stiffy!" Colin joked. "Though looks liked you calmed down a bit now, eh? Or do you still want a bit of Nova?"

"I'm just looking for my dad. Thanks though." Pegasus said, adjusting himself so he wasn't showing anymore. "Can you tell me where he went?"

"Oh I could, but it'll cost you a hundred caps for that information." Colin said.

"Why can't you just tell me?" It was simply asking for directions, why would that be nearly as expensive as paying for sex?

"Because little man, Caps are what make the world go round." Colin explained evenly. "And everything needs to spin. Food, sex, drink, even information are what helps spin it. So spin the world!"

Pegasus felt a little cheated by the price, it was nearly everything he had. Taking out the two stacks from Moira he handed them over to Colin.

"He left Megaton, two-hundred more ,and I can tell you the place."

"That was the point!" Pegasus shouted. Outraged that Colin just stiffed him, he was tempted to take out his baton, and smash it across Moriarty's smiling face.

Colin must've known. "Temper, temper, now boy. Do anything stupid, and you'll never find out where he went off to."

"I don't have any more money." He said through gritted teeth. He did, but no way was Colin going to get another cap out of him.

"Then I have a proposition to make!" Moriarty said, with a veneer of cheerfulness. "You see, this bitch Silver used to work for me. I treated her like a queen, and paid her well. Then one day out of the fucking blue, she ups and robs me of two-hundred caps! So, find the bitch, off her, and get me back my money, what do you say?"

 _I say you're a lying fuck, and you had this planned out._ Pegasus thought. "And where can I find her?"

"I don't know. That's your business kiddo." Colin said, patting him on the shoulder. "I just want my money back, you can do whatever you want with the bitch. Just find her, she should have the two-hundred caps you need."

"Why should I if you're just going to stiff me again?" Pegasus countered.

"My dear boy, consider that a lesson out here in the wastes, you have to be specific. I told you where your dad went for the hundred, and with the two-hundred you get the destination. I am a man of my word, regardless of what our Sheriff might've told you." Colin explained. "Well, I'll let you dwell on it. Got to get back to running the saloon now!"

He walked away from the saloon towards the bomb, trying to figure out how he was going to get out of this. He was searching the wasteland for his dad, and the only person who'd tell him wanted him to find another person in the wasteland that also could be anywhere. Getting his mind off his frustrations, he stopped by the atom bomb, it sitting in a pool of murky water. checking it over he saw that the water was irradiated which meant the bomb was leaking slightly. which meant the bomb wasn't perfectly safe, this thing could still go off, and wipe out the entire town! The radiation wouldn't kill him in an instant. He stepped into the waters and started looking for a panel.

"Have you come to drink from the waters of the glow?" Someone asked.

Pegasus thought it was the man who was preaching to the bomb from the balcony. "No, I don't wish to die."

"Die? The power of Atom does not kill! Instead it brings us ever closer to enlightenment!" He preached.

All frustration towards Moriarty was temporarily gone in bewilderment. "You lost me."

The preacher looked ecstatic to enlightened him. "In each of us are atoms, and in each atomic mass is all of creation in the entire universe! So when atoms divide, a new universe is created and life flows!"

"Okay." Pegasus remembered reading the book of genesis in the bible. When God created the world, nowhere in it did he set off a nuke in the creation process. "This is still a very dangerous weapon, maybe I can see if I can disarm it?"

"You would desecrate our holy relic?" he demanded. "This weapon of war is our salvation! For in each of us, we carry the power of Atom, and with it is infinite possibilities in infinite universes for us to explore! You would dare deny us children of Atom that?"

 _M_ _ost definitely at this point._ "How long has this church existed?" Pegasus asked. Worried that some crazed cult would set off the bomb.

"Before Megaton was even made." He said proudly. "We Children of Atom even had a hand in creating this very town. That way more people can come seeking both safety and fulfillment."

They may have a strange take on nuclear annihilation, but if they haven't set off the bomb in twenty years, they probably weren't going to set it off now, and maybe this church could help him. "You make an interesting point Mr.?"

"Confessor Cromwell." He introduced himself with a bow.

"Well Confessor, can you tell me where a miss Silver went, or even someone named James? He was just here, not too long ago."

"James? I do not know who that is." Cromwell explained. "But Silver, she came to us for comfort sometimes, when the sins of the flesh became too much."

"Do you know where she went?" Pegasus might have a lead, on one of them.

"I do not. Though I'm afraid that if she did leave, she, more than likely, was captured by the raiders in the school." Cromwell said sadly. "But enough small chat, I must get back to my duties!"

That was the third mention of that school, and whatever they were doing, it involved digging, according to Micky. Maybe he could find both of them there, Silver and his Father.


	8. Chapter 8 Silver Lining

Scanning the school with Mojo's old scope, Pegasus couldn't see anyone on watch on the roof. He didn't see anybody outside of it either, for that matter.

They could've packed up and moved away." Pegasus whispered to himself. Though if they did, there was the possibility that both his dad and Silver were also gone. Which meant he would be in the dark again.

"It was easier in the Vault." He complained to no one. If this was the Vault he'd be able to find both Silver, and his dad, no problem. Out here, the endless horizon made that even more difficult.

"Be honest with yourself, you just don't want to get shot again." The cracked visor was useless, and he was having to make do with the spare, combined with Mojo's goggles, he hoped it would give him enough protection.

He'd hidden the duffle bag in an old trash bin, under the red rocket, taking everything out of it he felt he may need. Moira's Vault suit fitted him just fine, and with the added protection from the security vest, he was certain that if hit with a 10mm round, he probably wouldn't even feel it.

Sighing deeply, looking over the horizon again, this time to try and admire the beauty of it to calm his nerves. He traded the safety of the Vault for this dangerous, yet beautiful world, and Mojo's guidance still stuck with him. He would survive, he promised himself that. He would survive. Amata, his dad, he even promised Mojo that he would live, out here.

In the distance, he saw someone come out of a rundown house. Looking through the scope, he saw that the person had silver white hair, and tossed whatever was in a bucket onto the ground before going back inside.

"Silver hair? Silver?" Pegasus asked himself. Was it really going to be that easy to find her? She didn't move that far out of Megaton, why didn't Moriarty just leave and find her himself?

He took out his N99 and checked it over, doing the same to Wanda, both were still in working condition. He wondered to himself if he really could go through with it. Killing her.

He had killed those hunters, but that had been in rage, he didn't feel any guilt for that. This though, this was more like murder.

"Don't bullshit yourself, this is murder." He muttered. "Murder is bad mojo. don't do bad mojo."

He'd try talking to her first, he promised himself, he just hoped she didn't try and draw a gun on him.

He found what she threw out was her waste bucket, the stench was horrid, though not nearly as bad as the rotting body with blowfly maggots or even a broken sewage pipe. Knocking gently on the door he waited for a reply. Looking over his shoulder for any raiders, there was no answer. Trying the handle, and finding it unlocked, Pegasus let himself in.

Greeted by the sounds of Yankee Doodle, he could smell burning chemicals, and the haze in the dim lit kitchen had him hoping that she was alright.

He chuckled at himself, he actually thought he could rob her, or kill her, when he was worried about her safety?

"Who the hell are you? And what the hell do you want?" She said, standing at the doorway, waving a 32 at him. From her sunken cheeks, bloodshot eyes, and shaking hands, he figured she was high.

"Sorry to let myself in like that, but are you Silver by chance?" Pegasus asked.

"Who wants to know? Wait, did fucking Moriarty send you?" She shouted. "You go back and tell that cunt that he ain't getting another damn cap from me!"

"Relax, please." Pegasus said, holding up his hands, hoping to calm her down. "Moriarty told me that you robbed him."

"The hell I did!" Silver explained. "The bastard's constantly kept caps from us, charging us fucking room and board out of our pay, and made us give the rest to him for our debts!"

"You where a slave?"

"Close enough! Finally I had enough of his shit, tried to make a deal with him to get out. Even slept with the bastard and then the fucker stiffed me. So I took what I was owed and left!" Her anger seemed to sober her up, her aim had gotten steadier. "You here to get it back!?"

"Not at all Silver." Pegasus said. "I won't tell Moriarty that you're here."

"And I bet you want something to remain silent right?" She asked sarcastically.

"No Silver, I don't need anything for my silence."

She seemed confused by his words. "Then why the hell are you here?"

"I wanted to ask you, did you ever meet a man named James before you left? He would be wearing a Vault outfit, sort of like mine."

She shook her head, resting her head against the door frame and sighed in pain. She went to the next room, Pegasus followed. She fell into a worn recliner, picking up a red inhaler bottle, she shook it before taking a hit of it. Letting out a deep breath, a look of serenity came over her face.

"I left over a week ago, I don't remember ever seeing who you're talking about."

The smoke was coming from a small fire she'd lit, with what looked like burned lizard on a stick over it. The room was littered with the same type of red inhaler bottles, and he could see some discarded syringes among the trash.

"What are you doing to yourself, Silver?" He asked.

"Getting high, until I forget who I am!" She snapped. "Wasteland sucks kid get used to it."

This was great, another lead to his father becomes a dead end, and it wasn't in him to just rob her. She probably didn't have much of what she took left anyways seeing all the used drugs. He felt sorry for her more than anything.

"Silver can you tell me anything about the nearby raiders? People keep talking about them." He asked.

"Well, they leave me alone." Silver said. "Used to be afraid of going out in the day, until several days ago, when three of them got offed."

Pegasus remembered how disgusted he was when Mojo shot them. "And now they're just keeping to themselves?"

"Probably still trying to dig into that Vault."

"What!" Pegasus said. If they were trying to break in, then Amata and the rest were in danger. "How do you know that, and how do they know about the Vault?"  
"Ah, the big ass cave not far from Springvale, for one? And two, I heard them talking about looking for more workers to dig towards the Vault."

So that's what Micky, and the others, were digging for. He almost died within the first ten minutes of being out. Everyone in the Vault would be killed if the raiders managed to break in.

"Thank you, Silver, but I need to go!"

Rushing from Silver's house, straight towards the elementary school, he made it to the front doors before stopping to let his head cool off. He could've been shot at any moment, as he ran here. He chided himself. He can't do anything that stupid again, that was a great way to get killed. Wanda was holstered over his back, and the N99 was in his hands. He breathed deeply, trying to calm himself. The thought of what he was about to do repulsed him, just like when Mojo shot the three in the streets. He remembered the man in Fairfax, his head being smashed off, and those people laughing about it. They were the hunters that killed Mojo. these people were the exact same, deserving neither pity or mercy. His anger cleared his mind of doubts as he quietly entered.

The ruined school's lights flickered on and off which was surprising. He expected the entire place to be pitch dark. He smelled cooking meat, and figured that the raiders must've fixed the generator to get some sort of power going through the school. On the wall in front of him was an old poster, showing a man in t-51d power armor, holding an American flag, as a family looked over him in awe. 'Buy American war bonds now!' Read the fading letters.

Looking down the corridors, he could see that the walls were plastered with the same kinds of posters. Most of them where faded, and worn to the point of only vaguely making out what they said, but from the ones that time hadn't destroyed, all of them showed the glorious soldier, and the awing family. It reminded him a lot of the Overseer's propaganda.

Peeking around the left corner, he saw a man walking away smoking a cigarette, and wearing dirty clothing. It looked like he didn't even have a gun. Sneaking behind him, he thought that he could take him down silently. Unfortunately though, one of the tiles cracked loudly when he put his foot down.

The raider turned, and Pegasus saw the pistol in his waistband. "Who the fuck-" He said, going for it.

Pegasus acted on instinct, and shot him three times. Twice in the chest, and once in the head. The back of his head exploded in a gory mist. The shots echoed through the school, making him expect patrols to come rushing to investigate. Pegasus thought of hiding the body, but knew that would be useless. A trail of blood and brains would be as big a giveaway as a random body in the halls.

Backtracking, he went right, hoping that whoever came would be thrown off.

hearing moaning coming from one of the old classrooms, he peaked in to see two raiders having sex on an old metal desk. Most of their clothing was still on, shifting away only what was necessary, though the woman's shirt was lifted up, showing her very scarred chest.

"Should we go see what the hell just happened?" The male raider asked, through grunting thrusts.

"Soon as we finish. shouldn't take you that long." The woman raider teased.

He slapped her across the face, and bit her nipple for the response, she groaned in pleasure at the pain. She must've saw Pegasus through the cracked doorway, she picked up an old n99 and shot it at the wall.

"Go away and wait your turn pal!" She groaned. "I don't do shows or groups. Go fuck a body down in the basement!" She set the gun down, and pulled the guy in, biting his neck.

Pegasus kicked in the door, both of them sat up in shock, the man pulling out and backing away. Pegasus shot them both in the chest through the heart, the lessons from his dad's office were coming in handy, in the most grotesque way.

He looked at them both, bleeding out, hardly able to move. He could've left them, let them have their fun, and continued onwards. He knew that they would've just shot him in the back, the justified rationalization wasn't helping his conscience any however.

He tuned to leave, two shots rang out hitting Pegasus in the back making him stumble forwards. His N99 fell from his hands. Taking Wanda from his shoulder, he turned to see the woman aiming her pistol at him, her aim shaking from her brain dying from lack of oxygen and pain.

He fired one round, splitting her head open, and spraying the back wall with her brains.

Picking up his pistol, he went over to both the bodies and started patting them down. Something he made a note to do back at the other one. "Don't feel bad about killing bad mojo." He whispered to himself, these people were just that. She joked about having sex with the dead, they took slaves, and they were trying to get into his former home. They were threat not only to the Vault, but to Silver, to Megaton, to his Dad...

They chose this life. The people in Megaton had chosen to try and build something resembling civilization. While these people had chosen to be vultures, picking at whatever scraps and strays roamed their way. He remembered the Tunnel Snakes, and how they picked on anyone smaller than them. He remembered the lies of the Overseer, and his hatred of his constant unyielding power. He remembered officer Mack hitting Amata with a baton, and how right it felt to shoot him in the foot. He remembered the bald raider though Mojo's old scope, laughing as he bashed a begging man's face in, and his want to stop him. Most of all, he remembered the hunters, casually talking about killing Mojo, and cutting him up for his meat, and his hatred towards them for the death of his friend.

His sense of righteousness, his dad called it, swelled up inside of him, soothing his guilt away. Nobody stood up to the Overseer, and no one had spoken in objection towards that begging man. The hunters had seemed shocked that anyone would even care about the death of some old wastelander.

He would stand up to them, he would care. He'd undermined the authority of the Overseer, just like Amata and his dad, showing the rest of the Vault that life continued on the outside. He'd avenge Mojo, ridding the world of people who preyed on others. Now he had the opportunity to do something else right. Ridding the wasteland of these raiders, letting people live their lives in peace.

Emptying her weapons magazine and dislodging the chambered round, he checked over the man, pain in his back promised him agony later in the day, but right now his adrenaline was dulling the pain. The man didn't have any weapon, an old pipe next to her corpse showed dried on blood. Indicating that not everyone here had a gun.

Holstering his N99, he kept Wanda out. She had enough power that anyone hit by her wasn't getting a retaliatory shot. Heading back to the other body, he saw a raider kneeling over him, taking a pack out of the back of the dead raiders pocket.

He only had time to glance up before Pegasus released a burst fire, the rounds tearing through his body leaving a bloody mess in the halls. Stopping to pocket what was in the raiders hand, finding it to be a pack of cigarettes. Those things must be valuable to be robbing the dead for them, instead of raising the alarm for those who killed your allies.

He saw someone at the top of the first flight of stairs. Whoever it was glanced at him before darting to the second level. Pegasus rushed to follow them, keeping Wanda aimed, he remembered his security training. The school's hallways were hardly bigger then a Vault corridor, and it didn't look as though the halls had as many doors as the Vault. Coming across double doors, he carefully peaked through the broken glass of one of the doors into what looked to be a very old, very ruined library. A young woman was talking to a bigger man.

"Bogs, there's some fuck going around killing people downstairs!" The woman said.

"Who the fuck stupid enough to attack us?" He heard Bogs shout.

He figured if she had a gun, she would've shot him back at the stairs. They were both likely armed with only melee weapons, at best. Giving him the advantage. The door creaked loudly. They glanced at him before darting behind the shelves. Pegasus let out a burst from Wanda, it tore through the rotten wood, but did not hit them.

Stepping into the library, quickly edging his way towards the shelves, expecting a person to attack, Pegasus was surprised to hear the bark of a dog. He barely saw it in time to raise Wanda to protect himself. The dog looked like the same ones that attacked him from before, though this one looked fed, and stronger than the others. Its teeth sunk into Wanda, it growled viciously as it tried to bite him.

Taking out his N99, he shot it twice through the chest, it yelped and he tossed its dead body off of him. Standing up, he saw the woman pointing a sawed-off shotgun at him, and shot him twice. The first shots hit him in the chest, stumbling him back, the second hit him in the left arm, sending a sharp sting throughout his side.

"Die, you fuck!" She shouted, ejecting the shells, and trying to put in more.

Pegasus was faster, not bothering to aim carefully, he brought up the N99 in her direction. Emptying his entire magazine, he saw several of the bullets find their mark, and she fell backwards, dead. At another set of double doors, he saw Bogs aiming a R91 of his own at Pegasus.

"I'm gonna tear you apart!" Bogs shouted, releasing a burst of his own. The shots were slow, and spaced out, Bogs was slacking in maintenance towards his gun.

The slower firing didn't matter, however, the accuracy was spot on, hitting Pegasus three times in the chest he fell onto his back.

"Fuck with me, asshole!" Bogs said, confidently.

Spreading his feet wide, Pegasus had a clear line at Bogs. Squeezing the trigger, six rounds went through Bogs. Spraying the back wall with his blood. Bogs stumbled back, hitting the wall, and leaving a streak of blood as he fell.

Pegasus laid there, the pain in his chest was too much for him to deal with at the moment. He breathed deeply, only to feel like his chest was on fire, switching to short breaths to try and get his senses together. Trying to stand only made him stumble. Resting against an old shelf, sliding down, sitting, he took out one of the stimpacks he took with him from the med kit.

Stimpacks were something used in the most dire emergencies back in the Vault. They would rapidly help the healing process for wounds, stabilizing someone even in critical condition. Unfortunately, long term use made the body dependant on them to function, and not using them could leave an addict in a vegetative state.

That didn't matter if he was dead, or captured, and made to wish he was dead. He didn't think any of Bogs remaining men, if any, would be kind enough to let him heal naturally. Injecting it into his left arm, he felt the effects almost instantly. He flexed his left hand and started moving it making sure nothing was permanently broken. The pain in his chest was dulled, he reached up and pulled a 5.56 round out of the security vest. The double layer of protection worked, though he dreaded to see the bruises on his chest later.

His body ached as he stood up. No more guessing that his enemies were only lightly armed. From now on treat them all like they had rifles, he told himself. Reloading his pistol, and stumbling his way towards Bog, a bright light attracted his attention, finding a stack of grenades next to an old terminal.

Picking a grenade up, he attached it to his belt, one of these things would've been handy in the shootout. He needed to remember to take some grenades he had gotten from Mojo with him next time. Seeing that the computer was working, Pegasus hit a button and watched the screen light up. Sitting down, he scrolled through, finding out that Bog was using this computer as an archive. Reading several of the entries, he read that they were using explosives to try and speed the mining process up into the Vault, they hit an ant hive, and lost seven people, and now were stuck. Bogs was worried about a coup.

Breathing a sigh of relief, they hadn't hit the Vault, or anywhere close to it. He sat up suddenly, looking at his pip-boy. A working terminal was sitting right in front of him, and all the information from his dad's, and the Overseer's, computers were right here on his wrist. He could link them together, and hopefully, read something indicating where his dad had gone to.

That could take hours, and there were most likely still raiders in the school. He got up and headed towards the doorway past Bogs. Seeing stairs to a lower level, he readied Wanda, and headed down.

The long corridor was flooded with light. Hearing the faint hum of a generator, he figured they were pouring most of their energy into the basement. Carefully sneaking his way through the corridor, he heard a shuffling sound, it reminded him of the sounds of radroaches scurrying through the Vault vents.

Hearing someone coming, Pegasus had nowhere to hide. Taking a few steps back, he aimed Wanda knowing this was going to turn into a firefight. The raider came down one hallway and turned the other way, not even seeing Pegasus.

Wanda exploded the back of the raiders head, his body fell like a cut marionette.

He hurried to the hallway the raider had been coming from. Another raider was coming with his hunting rifle drawn, seeing Pegasus, he fired a round, hitting the corner. Pegasus returned fire with a burst. Surprisingly he was still standing. A second burst ended that, the bullets even ripping off the raiders arm.

Stepping over the gore, he checked the door in the hallway, finding it locked. Gunshots fired at the end of the hall, he saw another raider shooting at him with a pistol. Firing a burst, the raider took cover. Kicking the door down, Pegasus went into the room, and made ready for the raider to come and get him.

Hearing a scratching, scurrying noise behind him, seeing a giant hole lit by standing lights, in those lights was an ant the length of a child. He finally realized what Micky had meant when he said they had a problem with ants.

He fired a round and it went straight through the middle of it, splitting the ant into a pile of gore, at least they were soft. Listening to hear if anyone was coming, he took cover around the corner, and reloaded Wanda. It was his last magazine with her, and he knew he needed to make every shot count.

He listened for any movement outside the room. He could hear distant scurrying, and felt that more ants were on the way. He wondered if that raider was the last one, if he would be coming to take Pegasus out, perhaps shut the door, and let the ants finish him off. Maybe he went to go get reinforcements.

"Think he's still alive in there? Only heard one shot?" A woman's voice said.

"I didn't hear no screaming like those diggers. One bite of those things can take a limb off. I think we'd be hearing it." He heard the male raider say.

From the directions of their voices, Pegasus guessed they were covering both sides of the hall, hoping to take him in crossfire, or trap him in with the ants. Using his pistol shooting suppression fire towards the woman, he threw the grenade down the hallway. Seeing it bounce off the wall, and right where she should be. He turned and fired down the other side. The shout of "oh shi-" was drowned out by the explosion rocking the entire corridor.

Seeing his chance, Pegasus ran towards where the man was hiding, taking out his baton as he did so. The man popped out from around the corner only to get hit in the face with the baton so hard that several teeth flew out of his mouth. Pegasus hit him again on the back of the neck. Hearing a crunching sound, he left him for dead. Rushing down the other side, he found the grenade had taken out a chunk of the wall, and put a hole in the ceiling. The woman raider was rolling on the ground, disoriented.

She got a glance at Pegasus before he shot her between the eyes, blowing the back of her head off.

He stopped to listen for the sounds of anybody coming down the halls, some shouts of other raiders. The only sound was the gentle hum of a generator.

"Get away from me!"

The shout came from where Pegasus left that raider. Walking slowly towards the man, he quickened his pace when the raider screamed.

A giant ant, nearly twice as big as the first, had bitten the raider through the stomach and was eating his intestines. Firing three shots with his pistol, the bullets tore through, but the thing started moving towards him as though the rounds had only gotten its attention.

Swinging Wanda to the front, two shots to the head were enough to stop it: one blew off one of its mandibles, the other took off the right side of its head.

Going back to the room, he looked at the giant hole where they were digging for his Vault. They had lights illuminating the hole, following the cord that went down there, he saw another light that had been set up. Any raider could take up Bogs idea of getting into the Vault while this hole was here, ants be damned. Letting out a sigh and shouldering Wanda, he descended.

To his untrained eye it looked like they did a good job blasting. The pathways were clear, and the walls looked like they weren't going to collapse anytime soon. It reminded him of the cave outside the vault. Following the lights, he walked cautiously, ready to shoot anything that tried to come in front of him.

The scurrying from behind him was a surprise. Turning, he came face to face with one of the smaller ants. Shooting it, the round echoed through the caves, making it seem louder than it actually was.

They could come from behind as well, he kicked himself, of course they could. They were ants! He was in there hive! Who knew how many tunnels these things made down here.

He sped down the tunnel, turning to look behind him, just in case, even sometimes looking up at the ceiling as well. Entering a large round chamber, the lights illuminated several tunnels, branching off, showing makeshift rails, and an old turned over cart. In the middle was a large rock, looking like a support pillar for the entire chamber.

Now he just had to hope that the raiders had left some explosives laying around. From Bogs journal, it sounded like they had to leave out of here in a hurry. His foot hit a worn R91 rifle, the handle covered in dried blood and dirt. Pegasus removed the magazine, it had twenty rounds remaining, dislodged the chambered round, kept the spare magazine.

He didn't find anything else of interest in the room, it looked like it had been picked clean which made no sense if they left quickly. Looking closer, seeing dark dried blood on the soil, along with drag marks. They may have had someone carrying the explosives when they were attacked, and he was dragged off. The tunnel was completely dark, except for the one light, turning on his pip-boys light, he walked into the darkness.

The tunnel wasn't nearly as well made as the other ones, it didn't even have a set of rails going into it. He guessed that this was the tunnel where they had hit the ants nest. It didn't take him long to find out why the ants had attacked.

Stepping on something that certainly wasn't dirt, using the pip-boy light up whatever it was, he found that he'd stepped on a pale white larva. Holding the light high, he saw larva wiggling all over the cavern floors, along with the pieces of limbs and bones of raiders and miners.

The sounds of dozens of ants moving towards him, seeing half a dozen of the large ones approaching from a higher chamber, glancing quickly among the larvae and bodies, he saw what he could use. He'd only seen it in books and comics, but there was no mistaking them: sticks of dynamite.

Stepping on several more lavae, he grabbed the handle of the sack of dynamite, pulling up a half eaten torso with no limbs or head. Shaking it off, he rushed back down the tunnel. Getting back to the chamber, and catching his breath, pulling out a bundle of five with a long fuse, he set it in the crevice of the central pillar. When suddenly reality hit him; he didn't have anything to light this with, and he had a very pissed off ant hive coming for him.

The scurrying got so loud that Pegasus turned to see. Several large ants jumbled together, as through trying to fight each other to get the first hit against him. Firing Wanda, he took out the three of them, but several more took their place. He fired until he was empty, loading the nearly full magazine he continued to fire.

Panicking, he saw it was no use, they were still coming from this tunnel. A falling lamp and sudden darkness from his side told him that even more ants were coming from the other tunnels. He needed to run. It was foolish coming down here, if there were this many ants then they could protect the Vault for him, or get in themselves.

The thought of the ants coming into the Vault and devouring the residents cleared his panic, and he came to a sudden realization that he did have a way to light the fuse. Taking out his pistol, he fired at its tip, letting the flash ignite it. After three rounds it caught, and he started to run, scooping up the discarded R91 on the way.

He could see the room in the distance when he heard the explosion, and felt the ground shake. He stopped for a second to look behind him to see the tunnel walls starting to collapse. Running up the hill he jumped when he felt the ground shift underneath him. Landing with his back against the wall, dirt hung in the air, but also filled most of the hole. No way was anyone picking up where Bogs left off.

He tried to relax, when he heard the sounds of several people talking through the halls.

"I heard it from here. Think whoever did this is still here?" he heard a guy ask.

"I say we take what we can and get the fuck out of here!" A woman said. "Bogs plan's a total cucklefuck anyhow!"

"Let's just see what the explosion was. That way while we're looting we'll be sure the whole damn building isn't about to fall on us." A second man said.

When they entered they stood there agape at the now filled hole. Probably reflecting on all the hours and days they spent on it, or rather the slaves, had just come to nothing. Not even noticing Pegasus sitting against the wall. He emptied Wanda in a swiping motion, hitting all three of them. Forcing himself up, he walked over to their bleeding bodies, and started taking what he could from them.

They were still alive, but their wounds meant that they would bleed out without help. He wasn't about to give it to them.

"Why?" one of the choked out, spitting blood.

"For your enslavement of Micky." Pegasus said pocketing a revolver. "For all the people you captured, and who died down there."

"We, just wanted to live." The woman managed to say.

"Didn't they also?" Pegasus asked, pointing at the former hole. "Didn't the people you turned into slaves simply want to live also?"

"Come on man." She managed to sit up and put pressure on her wound. "You do what you need to survive out here. Not strong enough to defend yourself, you might as well fucking die, or be a slave to someone stronger then you."

"Do you want my help?" Pegasus asked coldly.

"Yeah." She tried to smile. "Come on help me out, I'll be your sex slave, you don't know how good I am at sucking men off."

"Am I stronger then you?" he asked, gathering all close by weapons.

"You fucking shot us all! Of course you're stronger!"

"I don't want a slave. So I chose that you can fucking die." He slammed the door behind him.

Using an old golf bag he found, he backtracked his way through the school, loading it up with as much ammo and guns that he could stuff in it, picking up his casings as well. He didn't know if anyone was making fresh ammo, at least he may be able to reuse these things.

He had quite the haul: four grenades, two R91's, a sawed-off shotgun, three hunting rifles, three .32 pistols, an old 10mm and a fair bit of ammo. He wondered if all this would add up to the two-hundred caps he would need for Moriarty.

The thought of Moriarty reminded him of something else, using a wheelbarrow that the raiders used for dirt, he loaded up the dead big ant and took it with him when he left the school.

Stopping at Silvers house, he knocked, this time waiting for an answer. She cracked the door looking shocked that he would even come back.

"What the fuck do you want?" Silver whispered. She looked as though she had been hitting those inhalers ever since he left.

"I didn't know if you had any food. So I brought you this." Pegasus explained, showing her the ant.

She looked shocked, almost enough to be sober. "Why are you doing this? I'm not in the profession anymore just so you know kid."

He smiled weakly at her, the stimpack was starting to wear off, and though he was healed a bit, the pain where he was hit was starting to come back. "I didn't help you so you can suck my dick Silver. I helped you because it's simply good mojo."

"Don't know what the hell that means, but thank you." Silver said, stepping out rolling the ant and wheelbarrow whole into her house. "I didn't know the next time the Doc was going to show up, and I was running low on food."

"You're welcome Silver, and i won't tell Moriarty anything."

She smiled, a genuine smile at him. "Hey, what's your name?"

"Pegasus."

"Well Pegasus, I hope you find James, and thank you very much for what you've done." She must've saw him struggling to stand. "Do you need to come inside a bit?"

"No I'm alright." Pegasus was lying through his teeth. He might even need to inject another stimpack soon. "Just need to get back to Megaton before it gets dark."

"Well if you don't, and you need a place to crash." She let that hang in the air.

He waved goodbye to her and headed back towards the red rocket. He felt kind of odd, and not just from the pain from the bullets. He didn't feel guilty for killing those raiders, neither did he feel pleasure from it. The thing that made him feel anything was the thought that the Vault was safe again, and Silver's smiling face meant a lot more to him than he ever thought possible. He wondered if this is how Mojo felt when he first found him and saved him. If this was how Mojo felt, then Pegasus thought that he was well on the way to becoming a wasteland guardian.


	9. Chapter 9 Power Of Atom

"Hey you, welcome Back!"

Pegasus smiled weakly at Moira, who looked up from her counter covered with guns, seeing the hunting rifles that he'd sold her just hours before. A black man in a yellow jumpsuit, wearing a weathered cap with goggles on top of them, He looked over Pegasus and smiled

"Ah, a fellow student on the path of the Wasteland. Here to resupply before heading back out?" he asked boisterously.

"Actually here to sell." Pegasus said swinging the golf bag over his shoulders. "and resupply."

"Hey you're in luck Pegasus! This here is Lucky Harith and he specializes in weaponry! In fact, I was selling him what you sold me."

Lucky Harith shook Pegasus's hand and playfully slapped him on the back, sending a wave of pain through him. "It's my pleasure to bring hot death in a variety of flavors, and it looks like you found a few." he finished eyeing the rifles sticking out.

"Yeah," Pegasus managed to strain out. "you want to buy them?"

"Be a pleasure to look, and then I'll tell you what I think."

Pegasus nodded, sitting down in a spare chair by the door. He was tempted to fall asleep while Lucky Harith went over each gun. Taking them apart, checking the barrels and slides before putting them back together exactly as they were.

"A bit bloodstained," Harith said. "They need maintenance and cleaning. Take it you got these from some raiders or slavers out there?"

He nodded. "Got them from the raiders in the elementary school."

"You took them out?" Moira said agape. "Are you sure you don't want to help me out with my book!?"

"I told you Moira, when I've found my dad." Pegasus let out a sigh.

"You're hurt? You should go see Doc Church, he'll fix you right up!

Pegasus didn't need any more medicine injected in his system at the moment. "No thanks Moira, I'll be fine. So how much can you give me for all those?" asking Harith.

"Give you a hundred thirty-seven caps for the lot of them. They're in rough shape," he answered.

That wasn't enough to pay off Moriarty. He would have to find something else to do to scrounge the money needed, and get some more ammo for Wanda. "You carry any 5.56 ammo?"

"Got seventy rounds on me at the moment, a cap each."

"I'll take them all."

Harith took it out of what he gave for the guns. He left Craterside supply with nearly three full magazines for Wanda and 67 caps in his pocket. Feeling even more frustrated then when Moriarty first stiffed him. He needed to get that money together and fast. every day he waited was another day his dad got further away from him.

Moriarty's was pretty much empty when he got in. The saloon had a new smell mingling with the odor of rotting meat and dirty bodies - fermentation. Pegasus had no idea what fruits or vegetables they were using, but whatever it was smelled horrid.

Nova was behind the counter sadly staring off into the corner. She caught Pegasus' eye and smiled weakly at him. He wondered how badly Jericho hurt her.

"So what will it be handsome?" she asked when he approached the counter. "Another water? Beer? Or would you like a hit of Nova?"

"I just really want to know where my dad went. Think you can tell me?" he asked.

She shook her head. "I'm sorry," and she truly sounded it. "But if I told you anything or went snooping around, I don't know what Colin would do."  
"Why the hell doesn't Lucas just arrest him or boot him?"

"Moriarty knows the traders and outsiders that come here. He gives Megaton all kinds of sweet benefits that make him tolerated around here."

"Even what he does to you and Gob?"

"Unfortunately, yes. Still though, it beats having to live out there."

"Well do you have any idea how I can get some money?"

"You want my advice? Get out of here as fast as possible, you stay here for only a little bit. Then it's five years later." she muttered.

"Excuse me sir, did I hear you were in need of money?" A gentle low monotone said next to him.

Pegasus saw that it was the same man in the pinstriped suit that waved from earlier. He was surprised by how quiet he was. "Please Nova, by this gentleman a drink, on me."

"Okay," Pegasus said unsure of what was going on, "what's the cheapest you got here?"  
"Oh, don't worry about price my young friend." he said resting a hand on his shoulder. "I remember you ordering water the last time you were here. If you wish for the most expensive thing again that is fine."

Nova poured in a clean glass a large cup of water. "Here you are. 30 caps Mr. Burke."

Burke paid for the drink and smiled. Pegasus was reminded of all the fake smiles the Overseer put on whenever he had to talk politely with either his dad or himself. "Will you come with me? I wish to talk with you privately about a possible source of income for you."

Unsure, he followed Burke nonetheless to the corner table, sitting down in a comfortable chair, a well-made cigar sat burning in the ashtray. Burke must've been rich to leave something like that just sitting there. Burke offered a fresh cigar but he turned it down. "So you are in need of financial gain," he said as a statement.

"That's right." Pegasus said taking a sip.

"Well it so happens that I can be of assistance to you. a thousand caps worth if you're interested."

Pegasus knew the shock showed on his face. Burke grinned bigger than ever. "That's quite a bit. What do I have to do?"

Burke reached into his coat pocket, taking out what appeared to be a pulse charge. "It's very simple, just put this pulse charge back into the bomb sitting in the middle of town, nothing more."

Pegasus did his best to make his face be like stone, not to show any of the horror that was swelling up inside of him. "And why would I do that?" he was proud of how controlled his voice was.

Burke must've thought that Pegasus was interested. "The person of interest I work for finds this place to be a blight upon the landscape. It obstructs their view and being forced to see this pile of garbage every day is infuriating to no end. The thousand caps would only be the beginning. You would also have the favor of the most powerful man in the wasteland."

"Who's that?"

Burke chuckled. "Your clear marking of an outsider and your ignorance of the wasteland are astounding. though they are the reason why I wished to approach you in this matter. Do not worry, you'll meet the man after the bomb is set. what do you say?"

I say you're fucking nuts. "I say give me a down payment of a hundred caps and the pulse charge and you got yourself a deal."

"Ignorant of the world but a quick learner. I like that." Burke said taking out a roll of caps from his pocket setting them and the pulse charge in his hand. "Come back here when it is set to get your next assignment."

"Are you serious?" Lucas Simms asked his eyes wide in shock.

Pegasus showed him the pulse charge and the roll of caps. "The bastard actually gave me a down payment to blow up the city."

"Burke you son of a-" Lucas swung his Chinese assault rifle from his shoulder. "Come on. I'm going to show you what wasteland justice looks like!"

Following Lucas back to the Saloon, they entered and Burke was sipping at his drink when Lucas hit him in the chest with the back of his rifle.

Burke didn't even flinch. "May I ask what the problem is Sheriff?" he said through a tight voice moving his hands to his suit.

"Keep your hands where I can see them Burke!" Simms said patting down Burke, not finding anything. "Just what the hell are you planning?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about." Burke said, though he couldn't see his eyes. Pegasus felt Burke glaring at him.

"You know damn well what I'm talking about!" Lucas said showing the pulse charge. "You were planning to blow up the town, your under arrest until I can get this whole thing sorted out."

"Sheriff. you seem to be operating on misinformation, I assure you that I'll deal with any problems. personally. Now if you'll excuse me."

Lucas aimed the rifle at Burke's chest. "You're in jail until I say otherwise."

"Why do you knuckle draggers always insist on doing things the hard way. Very well Sheriff, lead the way."

Lucas turned away from Burke, Burke jerked his hand, and a pistol appeared from the sleeve. He aimed it at the back of Lucas head.

"Look out!" Pegasus shouted, shoving Lucas to the side, grabbing Burke's wrist. The muffled gunshot missed Lucas head by only a few inches.

Burke recovered quickly and attacked Pegasus, for his age he was still quite strong and agile, surprising Pegasus and landing a few hits in his chest. The blows made his already bruised chest feel like it was on fire.

Pegasus tried to ignore it and managed to get the gun away from Burke, throwing it under the chair. Burke attacked again and the pain Pegasus was feeling was making him sluggish, it was all he could do just to block Burke's blows.

Burke shoved Pegasus back, making him stumble over Simms and bolted for the door. Lucas chased after him, the sounds of gunfire echoed back into the Saloon, Pegasus crawled and recovered Burke's pistol; finding it to be a n99 compact with an attached silencer. Forcing his way onto the chair Pegasus tried to catch his breath.

"What the hell was that all about?" Nova asked getting up from behind the counter.

"Wasteland justice I guess." Pegasus sighed. Lucas came back, a grim look on his face.

"The son of a bitch managed to get out of town!" Lucas said resting a hand on Pegasus' shoulder. "Thanks for your help, I must be getting slow in my old age."  
"You shouldn't turn your back on someone dangerous." Pegasus said.

"Didn't realize he had a concealed weapon on him. I'll be checking sleeves more often from now on."

"Ah Sheriff!" Moriarty said interrupting them. "I take it, it was you driving away one of my most expensive customers? And you, young man, still hasn't found what you're looking for?"  
"Burke wanted to blow up the entire town, I think you can deal with the loss of one customer instead of the loss of every single one along with yourself Moriarty." Pegasus said bluntly.

"Well then you better start sending them back in then to make up for his loss!" Colin snapped. "Just finished a fine new batch of brew and it needs to be drank soon! How about you two, care for a warm beer?"

"No thanks Colin, I hear you piss in the still." Lucas glared at him.

Pegasus could feel the tension mounting between them. Colin was the type who would do anything for a few more caps and Lucas was a man of law and order. When he thought about it, it was amazing that they hadn't shot each other yet. Remembering what Nova said, he saw clearly that they merely put up with each other for practical reasons: Lucas gave Moriarty the security he needed to thrive out here, and Moriarty gave Lucas the connections making sure they did thrive out here. An unofficial sharing of power between the both of them that they both put up with. Made him realize why the Overseer never liked his father or himself. They were a challenge to his authority and unlike Lucas and Colin, there was no need to share the power in the Vault.

"Colin we need to start bottling this stuff." The gravelly voice of Gob said, he appeared from the back door looking haggard.

"What was that?" Colin said smiling not taking his eyes of Lucas or Pegasus.

"Sorry Mr. Moriarty Sir!" Gob blurted out.

"That's better." he turned and shoved Gob back in to the room making something crash that everyone could hear. Nova flinched at whatever she saw.

"Don't take your frustrations out on Gob!" Pegasus shouted. Standing up, the pain in his chest flared up, making him grimace.

"Looks like Burke hurt you more then you realized." Colin said. "Maybe you're not cut out for the outside world after all. Go crawl back into your Vault and don't tell me how to run my business. unless of course you're looking to add to whatever Burke did to ya?"

He went back into the room. A smack was heard before the door slammed.

"You two should get going. He's in a bad mood, he'll get out of it in a bit though he always does." Nova said.

Lucas tipped his hat towards her. "Always a pleasure Lady Nova."

"See you later." Pegasus said following the Sheriff.

"Think he's going to come back?" Pegasus asked Lucas by Craterside Supply.

"If he does I'm going to give him a belly full of lead." Lucas said. "Though now I'm worried about the bomb."

"You weren't before?" Pegasus asked skeptically.

"Don't be sassy." Lucas snapped. "If all it takes is a pulse charge to get that thing working again, then anybody can possibly set it off."

"Can't just get rid of it?"

"How? Besides if we did the church would throw a fit."

"I'll take a look at it and see if I can disarm it." Pegasus offered.

"And the hell would you know about atomic bombs?"

"Possibly enough to know that it will never go nuclear, though it will still radioactively decay."

Lucas stopped behind an outside counter by a large shanty shack with a sign saying 'The Brass Lantern'. behind the counter was a young woman with short cut strawberry hair in a yellow jumpsuit handling what appeared to be meat on a stick. she turned and smiled at the both of them.

"Hello Sheriff, scotch and lizard on a stick?" she asked.

"You know my usual Jenny. Colin offered me a drink, but I wanted to come to the place I know the piss will be left out."

She laughed and smiled at Pegasus. "Now I know I haven't seen you around before and I know everyone in these parts. You just a passing stranger?"

"Possibly, I'm looking for my father. Wore a Vault suit and stopped by the Saloon. Know where he may have gone?"  
"Sorry hon, I wouldn't know." Jenny said. "Know who you're talking about though, saw him only in passing."

She saw the disappointment on his face. "here. have a drink on me."

She poured them both a glass of scotch, though only giving Pegasus a quarter glass. he didn't mind, it was the first free drink he'd hadn't had to fight over, or clean since he gotten out of the Vault. It burned his throat when he swallowed. He remembered his dad liked to drink scotch back in the Vault, with the burning sensation and how he was already feeling thirstier then before he wondered why people even drank this stuff in the first place.

She had turned and started grilling the lizards, the cooking meat made his stomach growl. He needed to save as much money as possible just to pay for the information, but it would do him no good if he starved out here. He had three lizard sticks at a loss of twenty caps, but his stomach was telling him he made a good choice.

"So you really think you can disarm that thing?" Lucas said pointing at the bomb with the scotch in his hand.

Pegasus answered through a mouthful of lizard, whatever it was, Jenny knew how to cook it with juicy flavor. "I can take a look at it and see what I can do." He said spitting out several small bones. The lizards were good, but the bones kept trying to poke his mouth.

"Alright, if you can disarm it there be five hundred caps in it for you." Lucas said.

Pegasus stopped eating for a second. Five hundred was more than enough for him to pay off Colin and even have a little extra for supplies. "You're gonna try and disable that thing?" Jenny asked pointing at the nuke. "You crazy?"

Pegasus answered by giving her a technical layout of the bomb and its functions. Most of it was from what he could remember from the Vault physics books on nuclear power and weaponry, and some of it from his maintenance days with Stanley and fixing the nuclear generator in 101.

"Okay, okay, you know what you're doing, apparently." Jenny said sheepishly. "But stay here and give me a second." She went inside The Brass Lantern and a few minutes later came back out with a yellow wrapper. "Here's some Mentats. My brother uses them just to get high, but I know that can be used for more than just that."

Pegasus took the drugs and wondered if he could even use them. Mentats, from what he'd read about them, were supposed to improve cognitive functions, and make one smarter than they were, though at the cost of neurological disorders and potential migraines. He also wondered if, with the Stimpak already in his system, he would potentially overdose himself. Then there was also the fact the expiration date on these things said 2087, well over a century pass their shelf date.

In the end he figured he'd accept them and use them. he may die from a nuclear flash or from a drug overdose, either way he'd be dead, but at least these people may survive. he (pooped)popped out three of the little red tablets, the pre-war recommended amount and took them.

"Wow." Jenny said her eyes wide. "Never seen anyone take that much."

"That's what it says to do." Pegasus pointed at the blurred writing.

"Yeah but those things get potent as they age." Jenny said.

He was tempted to try and throw them up at those words when he felt a wave of euphoria hit him. A thousand thoughts came rushing into his mind each with a thousand separate possibilities. Some were genius, others stupid. All the potential places his father could go, how to get back in the Vault, all the different sexual positions and places he and Amata could do. The thoughts nearly overwhelmed him and he stood there looking in a trance.

Reality slowly came back to him with the worried looks on both their faces. He felt something in his face and realized he had been drooling, with the amount of drool running down his face he figured he had been in a vegetative trance for 2.3 minutes. With all the thoughts running through his head, it took him a few seconds to remember how to move his own body. His movements were quick and twitchy.

" _ **I'M-GOING-TO-LOOK-AT-THE-BOMB**_ ," Pegasus didn't realize how fast he'd said it.

"You want to wait until your head's back on your shoulders?" Lucas said, cautiously.

"I'm fine." Pegasus forced himself to slow down. He started going through the Vault stretches he did in the morning, letting his mind reconnect with the rest of his body. He turned and stumbled towards the bomb falling on the dirt. He was getting irritated. His body couldn't keep up with the speed of his thoughts.

Taking out Burke's pistol and his own, he began to disassemble them and put them back together. His hands moving so fast that the pieces were slipping past his fingers. He took them both apart and reassembled them several times in the span of a minute. The next minute he finally got the speed down for his body to match his mind. Only two minutes had passed, but it felt as though days passed while he worked.

Feeling like he had his body back under control he walked slowly towards the bomb when his brain wanted him to run. Using his tools, he took off the panel and chuckled at what he saw. The pulse charge was missing and with some quick wiring work he had made it so it could never again be able to take a signal. The amusing thing was that from the decay this thing never had a pulse charge in the beginning, explaining why the thing never went nuclear in the first place.

Quickly, more quickly than if he would have ever tried without the mentats, he took out the core of the bomb, he wished that had a proper container for the thing. This thing put in a battery would power nearly anything for the next 10,000 years. He signaled for Lucas to come over, putting the core in his hat.

"Take that thing and make sure nobody can find it." Pegasus said, quickly moving to where the high explosive would be stored.

"I'll be damned! You actually did it!" Lucas smiled.

Pegasus took out a block of explosives, putting the bomb back together, the children of Atom would never know that it was even tampered with. "Now I did it. The thing will never go Nuclear ever. If you have a container and a safe I suggest you go put that thing in both and put a guard over it."

"Already have something in mind." Lucas said, carefully heading back up the ramps.

The job was done but the mentats hadn't worn off yet. He felt the extra moisture in the air. "Jenny, is Megaton supposed to be this humid?" he asked though he already figured no.

Jenny confirmed it. "Walter's been having trouble taking care of the leaks."

Pegasus started walking around Megaton, finding one leak up the hill where he first appeared, using his tools and some scrap metal from the wall he managed to patch it up. One leak wouldn't be making this much humidity, and so he started looking around even more. Finding another by the Church of Atom and another close to the back of town. The repairs were only temporary, but they would do until he could find a way to seal the leaks by fusing the metal over the cracks instead of just patching it up.

He checked his pip-boy and saw that not even an hour had passed since he'd taken those mentats and he was unbelievably bored. His mind was aching to do something else, anything else.

Heading up to the water processing plant (he figured that's what it was, with all the pipes leading to it), finding the entire plant to be a dully-lit run-down system with the pipes looking ready to crack at any second. A haggard old man was whacking away at one of the pipes.

"What the hell you doing in here?" he asked looking up.

"The pressures up and you're having problems with the excess." Pegasus stated.

He looked shocked. "Why, yes. How the hell you know that kid?"

"I just fixed three leaks out there and now I need to take a look at your pressure gauge."

The old man pointed at the back. Pegasus went over to it and with his mentat enhanced mind it was very simple to get the water pressure to a normal setting.

"There. Now, Megaton will have an 8% increase in water." Pegasus said doing the calculations in his head. These mentats were amazing. He glanced around and saw an old Mister Handy bot sitting in the corner. "You keeping that? Oh, I'm Pegasus and you are?" he asked.

"Got that thing from a passing robo trader a few years ago, and I'm Walter, that's Wadsworth." Walter said. "If you can fix the piece of junk he's yours."

"Simple enough." Pegasus was already looking over Wadsworth. Finding that some of his parts had expired or were broken. He would need new parts to get Wadsworth working again, but he could get it working again.

A quick stop at Craterside supply, and a short conversation with Moira (who wouldn't stop pestering him for his help with her book), he came back with parts that she got from the king of crap himself. Wadsworth started up and hovered off the ground.

"I'll be damned." Walter whispered. "who the hell are you kid?"

"Told you, Pegasus." The mentats were doing wonders for his technical skill but they were killing his social ones.

"Good morning sir!" Wadsworth said in the standard Mr. Handy voice, giving Pegasus a pang in his chest as he remembered Andy. "It appears I was deactivated for the past 1478 days. Were there problems with fixing my diagnosis?"  
"You belong to him now." Walter waved.

"Hello Pegasus Master!" Wadsworth greeted happily. "I take it I am to thank you for my reactivation?"

"Yes are you good at maintenance and repair?" Pegasus asked.

"Of course sir, it was my primary duty to clean and maintain what is called the Megaton Water processing plant." Wadsworth stopped and seemed to glance around. "Even after over three years the place doesn't look all that different."

"Continue with your formal duties until I summon you." Pegasus stated.

"Of course sir." Wadsworth said using one of his hands to pick up an old worn broom and started sweeping.

"Not going to do you any good." Walter said looking at them both. "we need more metal to replace the pieces that rusted away."

"I'll see if I can't find you some." Pegasus said bluntly.

"How much you want for them?" Walter said with raised eyebrows.

"As much as you can afford."

"In that case I'll take them free." Walter said. Turning when someone else walked in. The person turned out to be the Sheriff.

"Jenny said you started wandering all over hell's half acre fixing things around the town." Lucas said smiling. "The bomb, now the water pipes."  
"He even made it so the plant won't explode from the extra pressure." Walter added.

Simms laughed. "Hell, you're doing so much for us. Why don't you just move on in?"

Pegasus immediate response was no, but his enhanced mind let him go through the long term possibilities of having a home on outside. A place to come back to, to rest and look over any clues to his father's whereabouts or to just do research on whatever is out here without having to worry about being attacked. Mojo had lived out on the fringes for years, but one bad night was all it took to kill him. In Megaton he'd have safety and hopefully not have to worry about that.

"Sure you have a place in mind?" Pegasus asked quickly.

"I take it the drugs are still in your system." Lucas said laughing. "I'll show you your home and you need to talk to Moira, I'm sure she can help you with the interior decor. Just don't let her actually design, just supply!"

The house in question had two levels and was one of the bigger shacks in Megaton. better yet it even had its own power source in the form of several small fission batteries giving him untold amounts of electricity. It came with its own fridge and was connected to Megatons' water pipes. Though he only had possibly one gallon of water a day, and even then Lucas told him that he'd need to clean it just to be safe.

"What a lovely little shack master!" Wadsworth said, it was impossible to tell if he was being sarcastic or not. "We just need some run down furniture and some ruined tables and we'll have a matching home!"

Pegasus ignored him and found that they had given him a desk and bed in the main bedroom, the best part was that it also had a close power source. A plan had been quickly forming in his head and now he was going put it in action.

"Wadsworth clean this place up and count my caps. guard those with your life." Pegasus said as he headed back out. Wadsworth said something that sounded like a joke about him not being alive, but he was too busy to care.

Back in the school he found the giant ants scurrying about the levels, dragging the bodies of the dead raiders back down to their nest. Pegasus ignored them though they were going to come in handy in just a few minutes. Trying to unplug Bogs old terminal, he found one cable that didn't match with the rest. Following it to a hollowed out portion of the wall, he moved an old poster to find a safe. Using the terminal to hack open the safe, finding a box of 5.56 rounds and several stacks of caps, his laughter echoed down the halls. This day was getting better and better! Taking the old terminal and his treasure find, he shot several of the worker ants that were in the classroom with the two fucking raiders. Gathering the ants' corpses and shooting three of the larger, warrior ants that came to stop him, he gathered them all and tossed them in an old wheeled trash bin he found in the halls and made his way back to Megaton.

His head was starting to hurt after he sold the larger warrior ants to Jenny. Getting a fair price out of them and even getting the worker ants meat processed for himself for free. He thought of going back to Mojo's old trailer and seeing if he could salvage the old dog and mole-rat meat but it was getting dark that would take too long.

"Welcome home sir!" Wadsworth greeted. "it'll please you to know sir that no rust got into your 723 caps sir!"

"Add these to it." Pegasus said tossing Wadsworth the extra caps. Taking the terminal up to the bedroom, he set it up and felt elevated when the green screen turned on. He started working over the terminal, doing a systems reboot to get rid of all the clutter from Bogs old logs and whatever else was on it.

"Sir it will please you to know that you now have 1103 of these bottle caps." Wadsworth shouted. "I must ask sir is Nuka-cola or sunset having a raffle or prize for all of these things?"

"They're currency Wadsworth." Pegasus said rubbing his temples. The Mentats were wearing off quickly, leaving him with a massive headache. Still over a thousand caps would definitely buy the information he needed from Colin.

Someone knocked on the door, he thought that it could very well be Colin coming to see if he would be willing to sell his house for the information. "Wadsworth get that." The computer had finished with its boot. Hooking his pip-boy up to the terminal he started a data transfer.

"Master, a Mister Gob wishes to speak with you." Wadsworth said. "Though I must say I suggest you do it through a quarantine area, he looks quite sick."

"Shut up you old robot it's not like you never seen me before!" Gob shouted.

"Let him up!" Pegasus shouted down. What would Gob be doing here?

"Hey." Gob said meekly waving "I heard you saved the town from being blown up."

"The Sheriff and myself." Pegasus said rubbing his temples, the headache was getting worse. He probably wouldn't even be able to look over the Vault files this night.

"Thanks for that, and thanks for standing up for me, you didn't have to." Gob tried to not look him in the eye as he said that before he blurted out. "I know where your dad went."

The headache disappeared at Gobs words. "Where!?"

"He headed to Galaxy News Radio to talk to Three Dog, but if you want my advice, I suggest you check Paradise Falls first."

"Why and what's Paradise falls?" he asked rubbing his eyes. The excitement died and the ache turned into a massive migraine.

"Haven't heard anything on the Radio or from passing traders about someone visiting Three Dog. Something like that he'd talk about." Gob explained. "If he never made it, he may have been captured by the slavers of Paradise Falls."

"Slavers." Pegasus stated leaning back in his chair. He'd thought that the raiders in the elementary school where capturing people just to dig, but now if it's true that a slave ring operated out here in the wasteland, then it was a very real possibility that his dad had been captured and sold. He trusted Gob more than he trusted Moriarty. "Know how I can get there?"

"I know the place. but if I were you I'd ask Jericho." Gob said. "The man was a former raider before coming to Megaton to retire. Though if you ask me he's probably still in the game."

"Or at the least still has contracts that will let me get in without causing too much of a fuss." Pegasus thought it over. Trusting Jericho not to sell him out the first chance he got was not easy. His mentat addled brain was hurting from thinking too much. Jericho was most likely more mercenary then raider. Caps would be able to solve the problem. Still left the chance Jericho would go back on his word though.

"Thanks for helping me Gob. You have no idea how much I appreciate it." Pegasus said getting up to walk Gob out. Stopping by Wadsworth, and telling him to give up three caps. "Here. I know it's not much but I may need every cap I can spare to buy my dad." The thought suddenly came to him. "How did you know it was my dad?"

"You look just like him." Gob said smiling he added. "And the both of you are some of the only people that actually treat me with respect."

Pegasus didn't know what to say to that. "I need to get some sleep Gob. I've had a busy day." He felt sheepish that just showing basic decency had been enough to get Gob to tell him what he needed to know.

They said their goodbyes and Pegasus laid down on the stiff bed, the springs groaned under his weight. feeling uncomfortable, he realized that he hadn't taken off his clothes for sleep in the past four days. Getting naked he laid back down and for the first time felt all the tension leave his body and drifted off into his first sound sleep out here in the Capital Wasteland.


	10. Chapter 10 Hell in Paradise

"You're fucking with me ,right?" Jericho asked skeptically.

Pegasus shook his head, and regretted it. It felt as though his brain was being smashed by the Vault door. "I need you to take me to Paradise Falls. I know you're a raider, and I could use someone of your reputation so I don't get stabbed the moment I'm seen."

"Former Raider." Jericho snappily corrected, "and that does make sense. Though I'm not sure if they'd just shoot me for showing my old ugly ass mug."

"Do something to piss them off?"

"Yeah, I lived, and got smart enough to stop when I was ahead." Jericho said. "Though I sometimes do miss being out there. The thrill and excitement."

"I'm not asking you to come out of retirement." And Pegasus hoped that was where Jericho would remain. "I just need you to vouch for me, so I can go inside, and see the slaves."

"Ah... you're one of those romantic types?" Jericho crossed his arms, and stared at him in contempt. "What? Looking for a lost family member? Some broad that was a good fuck get caught? Whoa!" Jericho stopped at Pegasus' glare. "Touch a nerve did I? Keep your attitude in check before I change my mind."

"So you'll do it?" Pegasus asked.

"Hundred caps down payment, and 400 you get back. Yeah, I can do that." Jericho said. "Though you need to lose that Vault shit, and get yourself some real armor if you want to be taken seriously in there. Get some dirt on you as well. You got the gruff, and the glare, so keep those."

Pegasus scratched at the small beard that was growing on his face. Five days since he last shaved in the Vault, and it was showing. He usually shaved every four days, when the facial hair was getting too itchy. He hadn't grabbed a razor back in the Vault, and now was regretting the decision.

"Alright, I'll meet you at the gate in the next hour."

"My, my, would you look at the wasteland badass?" Jericho chuckled, looking Pegasus over.

Lucas had been kind enough to loan him his old combat armor. The thing was so badly filled with bullet holes, and the paint was nearly worn off. It gave him the appearance of someone who'd seen a lot of action in the capital wasteland, and that should give him the appearance needed, with his weapons holstered, and his bag carrying supplies.

"You ready to head on out?" Jericho asked.

"Pegasus nodded and opened the door. Outside past Deputy Ward, a young woman was talking to another caravan man. This one was bald, and wore an old suit much like Burke, though solid in color, instead of pin stripped.

"Please! You're going close to Arefu anyways. Can't you do me this one favor doc Hoff?" She pleaded.

"It's not on my route, and I'm not going to diverge, just to be nice." Doc Hoff said shortly. "If you gave me some incentive."

"I told you. I don't have anything on me right now. Just give me a week, or two, and I can pay you, but I need this letter delivered now."

"Excuse me, what's the problem?" Pegasus asked.

"Miss Lucy West here wants me to be a courier for free." Hoff explained. "Though I don't understand why she can't just deliver it herself if she can't pay someone to deliver the message?"

"It's dangerous out here, and I barely made it from Arefu to Megaton the first time!" Lucy protested.

Arefu did sound familiar. Taking out Mojo's old map he saw the marking of Arefu, It was just across the river, close to Paradise Falls. "I'm heading that way. I can deliver your letter."

Her eyes lit up. "Really? You'll do it!?"

"Sure, just tell me who I'm delivering it to."

"My family, the Wests up in Arefu." She explained. "I haven't heard from them in nearly two years. I hope my little brothers doing okay."

"It might take a while for you to get a reply, and I might not be back in a few days or ever." Pegasus explained.

"Same with all the dangers in the wasteland." Doc Hoff injected.

She ignored him. Taking out the letter and handing it to Pegasus, "I know it might take a couple of days, or you might die, but thank you for this, I won't forget it."

He smiled, and bowed before heading off with Jericho. Passing the school, he glanced to where Silver was living and didn't see any movement. He hoped she was alright.

"Huh, usually I'm getting shout at by Bogs by now?" Jericho said.

"Bogs is dead." Pegasus said. "Killed him myself."

"Really? You mister gallant? Going to go save a slave, and deliver a letter for a maiden to boot!" Jericho laughed. "You got a bleeding heart, and it'll get you killed out here."

"Tell that to Bogs. I shot his out." Pegasus countered.

Jericho chuckled. Pegasus knew that he didn't believe him, and he didn't want to give Jericho any incentive to betray him at Paradise Falls.

They walked to the top of a desolate hill to overlook the capital wasteland, this view was one of the worst he'd ever seen. As far as he could see there was nothing but miles of barren hills and empty rocks.

"You better be ready to hike. Welcome to the dead man's land." Jericho spat on the ground. Taking out a cigarette, taking a puff, he coughed and spat up something black. "Gotta stop smoking these things." He said taking another hit. "Let's go. Paradise Falls is roughly three hours march from here."

"According to my map we should stick close to the river a few miles east?" Pegasus pointed.

"Oh wow! What the hell you need me for then, navigator?" Jericho snapped. "The rivers be crawling with mirelurks, and I really don't feel like getting cut in two. So we stick to the hills or I go back and enjoy my hundred caps on Nova."

"Alright. You're the guide." Pegasus conceded. This was going to be a very long three hours.

The sun was already high, and even with all the clouds in the sky, the heat beat down upon the wasteland, drenching both of the hikers in sweat. Taking out his canteen, he took a long drink, telling himself that was all he was going to drink until they made it to Paradise Falls. Remembering that he had to be careful, lest he run out of water out here in the wasteland. He had ordered Wadsworth to gather and store as much water as he could while he was away, remembering how much trouble Mojo and he went through just for half a liter of the stuff.

The worst of it was not just the heat, but the wastelands glare from the sunrays were reflective, making it feel like someone was driving a screwdriver in his already migraine brain.

"You having trouble keeping up with an old man like me, punk?" Jericho asked snidely, slowing down for Pegasus' benefit. "Thought you were a real wasteland badass?"

Pegasus stopped to shift the armor, and lift up his shirt. Jericho jerked back seeing the purple and black bruises on his chest. "What? I thought something like these wouldn't affect a badass raider like yourself? There's this, plus a Mentat Migraine, and I'm still able to keep up with you a bit. So shut up, and let's get going."

"Goddamn. Most people I know would be pissing there pants, crying form wounds like those. And I've ran with some tough crowds!" Jericho was genuinely shocked.

"I'm glad I have your approval. Now let's get going."

Jericho didn't say anything to Pegasus for the next hour. Instead, complaining to himself about his smoker lungs, or how fucking hot it was. Pegasus kept his mind focused on one thing, putting the next foot out in front of the other. He was pushing his body passed its limits, but he already wasted a lot of time with Mojo, and the school, he needed to find his dad. Or at least find out if he was sold into slavery.

"We can stop up there." Jericho pointed to a large screen in the distance on a rocky hill. "Moonbeam cinemas. They got all the best hits."

Pegasus was surprised to see the screen was still intact. Several rusted old cars were pointed at it, the skeletal remains of couples holding each other were in a few of them. Some of the other cars look like they were gutted for parts. Jericho sat down on an old picnic bench, taking out his hip flask, and taking a hit.

"Ah, this some good shit." Jericho said, looking over his flask. "Unlike you, and your pansy ass water."

"I prefer not to have my senses impaired." Pegasus said, sitting down, rubbing his temples. He really wished this migraine would go away. Wishing he took some aspirin with him back in the Vault.

"You're a wasteland dumbass ignorant fuck." Jericho smiled, and took out another cigarette. "You 're wandering while drugs are in your system, and you're wounded. Talk about trying not to be impaired. You should be hitting the bottle like crazy, so you don't feel that."

"I've had worse." Pegasus said, looking over their surroundings. A destroyed highway, several more destroyed, and salvaged, vehicles were littered down the road. Several seemed to have been blasted off the roads by the atomic attack.

He took out Mojo's old map, and looked it over, wondering why Mojo hadn't drawn a line showing a path using the roadways. While thinking, something loud clattered. Jericho nor Pegasus had made the noise, it had come from an old semi-trailer on the highway.

The barrel of the mini-gun appeared first. Jericho swore and ran for cover. Pegasus had no idea what, and made to follow. Looking back to see a large yellow creature, standing at least 8 feet tall wearing a bent car door as a vest take aim at him.

"I'LL WEAR YOUR BONES AROUND MY NECK!" It screamed and pulled the trigger.

The minigun needed a second to warm up and that second saved his life. The top of the rocks he had taken cover where chipped by the minigun's fire showering Pegasus with pieces of rock.

"Ah man we are totally fucked now!" Jericho screamed. "A fucking super mutant all the way out the fuck here!? What the fuck is this? Fuck?!"  
Pegasus had Wanda ready, and fired suppression fire at the creature. He didn't see if he hit it, and the super mutant didn't seem to care. The shooting stopped for a second, Pegasus popped up to see the thing marching towards them like a creature out of a nightmare. Seeing him, it fired another burst.

"Shoot the fucking thing!" Pegasus shouted, seeing Jericho not even trying to fight.

"Man that thing's going to kill us. Knew this was a bad, fucking idea!" Jericho complained.

Pegasus swore in frustration. Popping up and firing a burst, he saw the rounds hit, one in the chest, and the other two hitting the left arm. The super mutant didn't even flinch, instead started laughing, as it returned fired.

Pegasus still had one last trick up his sleeve. Taking one of the grenades he had from Mojo, he tossed it close to where the super mutant was. Most people would have tried to run away from the grenade, but the mutant ignored it. The explosion disoriented the thing making it drop the mini-gun, though it was still dangling from the ammo pack on the things back. Pegasus rushed it, figuring that one of them was going to die at this moment and it sure as hell was going to be the mutant.

He kept firing Wanda with a precision that made him grateful of how well Mojo took care of her. It took six rounds at the shoulder dropping the mini-gun. Taking aim at its face, Pegasus noticed its scowl, and pulled back lips, making it look as though it was constantly bearing its teeth. He fired a round shattering its teeth. He fired again, and again, aiming for the head to kill the thing quickly. The rounds seem to be hurting it, but four shots in the head should have been more than enough to kill anything that moved. Yet the mutant still stood. It stared down at him through its broken teeth, and he saw that his rounds were sticking out of its face. He hardly penetrated its bone structure.

He had one last idea, and if these didn't work, then Jericho was right. He fired at its other shoulder, its bones may be dense enough to stop an assault rifle round, but its muscles were still just tissue. Shooting the thing in the other arm until he ran dry, dropping Wanda, he took out his n99 and continued to shoot it until he got close enough to grapple with it.

Taking out his second, and last, grenade, and shoved it down the Mutants car vest. It tried to swing at him with its useless arms, though it appeared that the right one was already stitching itself together.

Pegasus jumped behind a ruined car, and heard the explosion. Looking to see the super mutant's chest blown to pieces, its intestine and organs were hanging out from the giant wound. It fell to the ground, but to his surprise it was still breathing. Walking over to it, it was still alive, still trying to kill them.

Pegasus saw what look to be the heart and shot it, it finally gave one last twitch and was still.

"Damn man." Jericho said peeking out. "I've only seen those brotherhood assholes take out a super mutant one on one before."

"You could've helped!" Pegasus snapped.

"Hey I was ready to leave your ass and run back to Megaton. You used up nearly all your ammo just taking out one of these things, and they're may be more of them out here. The fuck are the super mutants doing way the fuck out here though?"  
Pegasus remembered Mojo telling him about the yellows who terrorized the people living in the ruins of D.C., if that was where they lived, what was a super mutant doing way out here? If they were trying to expand their territory, Pegasus wasn't sure if they could be stopped.

it had taken everything he had to kill just one, what happens if there two, or even a dozen?

"That doesn't matter." Pegasus said, not wanting to think about the outcome. "We need to check that trailer, if there's another one, we'll need to kill it quickly."

"There isn't. If there was, we'd be hearing it by now." Jericho said. "But if this thing any like the others, man you better have a strong stomach."

Peeking in the trailer was enough to understand Jericho's words, he gagged and almost threw up. A net hung from the top with mutilated pieces of humans inside of it. The blood was dripping down, forming a thick pool. Inside, he saw a small cache of items that the super mutant had set aside for itself, indicating that the things did have some form of intelligence. Being careful not to touch the bags of gore, he saw the assorted items were mostly just junk: an old lunchbox, toy cars, empty shotgun shells. Pegasus saw one thing in the pile though, a pair of large sunglasses, though the frames were bent slightly they still fit him. Stepping out, the dimness of the wasteland felt wonderful on his migraine head.

"Got yourself a battle trophy I see?" Jericho chuckled at him, standing on the over cliff. "Well good news! You can see Arefu from here..."

Pegasus joined Jericho, looking to where he was pointing to see a bridge destroyed in the middle, over a low river. Across from there were several buildings that were still standing. Though from looking on the map it looked like Mojo marked Arefu on the bridge and not the buildings.

"Great. So what's the bad news?" Pegasus asked.

"The bad news is we ain't going there. So let's fuck off and get going!"

They continued north past a dried out dock, and past something that Pegasus never thought he'd ever see, trees. They had seen patches of dead grass and shrubs in sparse patches in the wasteland, but he never thought he'd ever see a tree out here. His excitement was drained when he went over to touch it, finding it to be a dead husk. All the trees appeared to be that way.

"Jericho, does anything grow out here?" Pegasus asked.

"Yeah. Mutants, hunger, and a long line of suckers that stand around dumbfounded looking at dead shit." Jericho muttered.

"So I won't ever find any flowers out here then?" How disappointing that was.

"The fucks a flower? Come on badass, we need to get going."

I'm sorry Amata. It looks like I won't be able to keep that promise. It made him wonder how she was doing, He hoped that she was doing far better than he was. Hopefully she hadn't gotten shot at, or mauled. He hoped those ants never got their way into the Vault. They had enough problems with radroaches.

"There it is, we made it." Jericho said, pointing to a large statue in the distance.

The silhouette was something that he'd read about in ads in his old comics. The Fatboy of Fatboy Burgers. He never thought he'd ever see one still standing.

"Do they serve burgers that will make your belly burst." Pegasus asked jokingly, noticing that the thing had been turned into a makeshift radio tower.

"No, they'll burst your belly just for shits, or for being a smartass." Jericho said.

Pegasus kept that in mind, trying to mentally prepare himself for whatever it was he was going to see when he got in there. He hoped that if he saw his dad, that he was still in one piece. The buildings here were more fortified, to the point where it reminded him of Megaton. They both could hear some shouting from behind the walls, and what sounded like a whistle. Glancing over, Pegasus thought he saw something move between the walls of the buildings. They got on the worn road to the gates of Paradise, and their first barrier was a man in a lounge chair pointing a rifle at them.

"How you doing Grouse!" Jericho greeted. "Nice to see you out of the diapers."

"You disgusting, washed-up, old-dirty motherfucker Jericho." Grouse welcomed menacingly. "You got a lot of nerve showing your face around here again. You went soft and sided with the lawman."

"Fuck you Grouse if you think I ever sided with Simms! Megaton got nicer food and nicer bitches. I don't have to use a gun to get them to swallow."

What Jericho implied made Pegasus regret ever hiring him. It made him feel even more pity for Nova, and what she had to put up with. He dreaded thinking what Silver had to do.

"Right! Food and women the reason why you left. Got plenty of both of them here."

"Oh, and another thing, I don't have to worry about some uppity fuck pointing a gun at me every five fucking seconds! It's nice to enjoy a whiskey, and a blowjob, in peace!"

Jericho and Grouse stared down on one another, seeing which one of them would back down first. They both started laughing like old friends telling a private joke. Pegasus stood there impassively trying to be as stoic as possible.

"Well let me be the first to welcome you back." Grouse said, setting the rifle down. Pegasus felt some tension leave his body. "If you're still in the business, I got something rather interesting that's on the market."

"And what's that?" Pegasus asked trying to sound both detached but authoritative. He thought it sounded pretty good.

"Who the hell's this?"

"Some asshole who wanted to come here." Jericho said. "Asshole! Introduce yourself."

"Names Chase." Pegasus said the first name that came into his head. He remembered reading about the general who lead the reclaiming of Alaska, from one of his history books. Figuring it would be wiser to use another alias instead, he didn't want word going around of Pegasus the slaver. Besides, the name seemed to fit the situation he was in. "Came here to see if I couldn't find any work, and possibly buy a slave on my way. Looks like they're may be a job at least."

"Yeah, right. What are you really here for, _Chase_?" Grouse put all contempt into the name

Pegasus stepped up, putting all his effort into the same kind of presence he put in when he intimidated the Tunnel Snakes, or some of Vault security. It must've worked, Grouse seemed to tense up a bit. "What I'm here for is none of your fucking business unless it involves caps. Since you seem to have an opportunity for caps. I suggest you tell me."

"Damn. Maybe you will fit in around here." Grouse chuckled, trying to blow the whole thing off. "Anyways, got a runaway slave from up in the Commonwealth. Some so-called 'android' that Eulogy had us running around, like morons, looking for. I'm done with that. So if you want the job?"

Grouse took out a holodisk. "All the info you'll need's on there. You two go on up if you want. Just don't be a jackass."

"No wonder why you're out here." Pegasus said taking the holodisk. Jericho laughed.

They passed another slaver who gave a nod of acknowledgment while taking out a cigarette. The doors to Paradise Falls were made from an old bus with the name of the place in metal letters on a metal sign above it.

"So this place wasn't named for ironic reasons?" Pegasus said aloud.

The front door bust open and two children came running out both looking no older than eleven.

"Run Sammy run! We can make it!" The taller one said, sounding delirious.

Pegasus looked behind to see the slaver looking bored at the two runaway slaves, as he lit up his cigarette. The taller one almost made it to Pegasus when he heard the beeping. The boys head exploded, spraying Pegasus with blood, and bits of brain. The slaver didn't even look up from his smoke.

Sammy stopped with a frightened look in his eyes. Pegasus was sure the same look was on his eyes, if they could be seen through the sunglasses.

"Go ahead and continue running Sammy." A man with a mohawk called from the gate. You followed Carter this far?"

Sammy had the same kind of collar on. The boy didn't say a word and tried his best not to cry. He turned around and walked back towards the man in the mohawk. He slapped Sammy to the ground when the boy got close enough.

'That's for making me run after you!" He shouted.

"I'm sorry Forty!" Sammy cried.

"What!?" Forty said, kicking Sammy in the gut.

"Sorry, Forty sir!" Sammy squealed.

Forty picked Sammy up, and tossed him down to the gate, shouting insults and threats.

"Ah! Home sweet home!" Jericho said, patting Pegasus on the back. "You're gonna like it here."

Pegasus was too shocked to say anything. His hands were shaking in both horror and rage. He wanted to shoot Forty, and Grouse, and the impassive slaver, like the feral dogs they were. Yet he knew he wouldn't win. He was outnumbered, outgunned, dying wouldn't help out anything.

Breathing deeply to calm himself, rubbing his wrist to get the shakes out of his hands, he walked into what he now knew to be a hell.

Pegasus looked around to see just how organized these slavers were. Though piles of junk was pushed to the sides, the streets weren't exactly filthy. Several of the buildings looked as though they were fortified, and several towers had searchlights. This gave him the impression that they had a working power grid. Two men passing cigarettes, armed with assault rifles, glanced up only briefly to see the newcomers before finishing their business.

"Hey, can I bum one of those off ya?" Jericho asked.

"Bum? No. Pay? Yes, old man." Said the slaver in red.

Pegasus walked past Jericho who was arguing about who he was. Walking past a building marked clinic, several other slavers and raiders passed him, most of them didn't give him a passing glance, though others glared threateningly. Walking towards the largest building, he heard laughter and someone scream. Trying not to run, he walked quickly towards the noise. It appeared to be an outside bar, like the Brass Lantern though much larger. Slavers and raiders were enjoying their drinks, laughing, and clapping. Making his way through the bar, he saw a man in metal armor, much like the one in Fairfax, with his pants down, pinning a ragged, bloodied woman on the table, and thrusting away at her.

"Come on Bleak, you gonna scream for us some more!?" A woman in red, with devil horn for hair, screamed enthusiastically. She seemed to be enjoying the sight before her.

Bleak didn't say anything. She didn't scream or cry again. He heard some of the slavers say they wanted a turn. A younger man, in matching metal armor, swung a giant sledge hammer, and looked threateningly at them all. The rest of the slavers shut up while the women continued to laugh.

Pegasus hurried away from the disgusting scene. His hands shaking so badly from wanting to shoot them all for the depravity just before him. How could these people live like this? This entire place sickened him, he wanted to find his father and leave before he got himself killed trying to shoot these people.

He wandered past a rundown cinema through an opened gate. Finding himself staring at a group of ragged people behind barbed fences. Children, old men and some that looked hardly older then he was, all of them were wearing the same kind of collars that Sammy had been wearing. In his haste he somehow managed to find the slave dens.

"Is there a man named James in with you?" Pegasus asked the slaves to the right where the adults were.

None of them answered. The oldest of them was mumbling something to himself. While another slept on a piece of stained cardboard with an empty bottle next to him.

Pegasus swore under his breath, and saw that the pen had a door leading into the building right next to him. Seeing another door on the outside leading in, he hoped that perhaps his dad was helping other slaves in the building

The inside was so dark, and stank of waste, that Pegasus was tempted to leave the door open, for both the light and for fresh air. The building was run down, with a large metal pen for the slaves. There was only one slave in the cage, a ghoul with purple patchy hair.

"Excuse me, but can I ask you a question."

The ghoul flinched as though he'd stung her, looking at him in bewilderment. "You're asking me a question? Not demanding?" She said, in her strained raspy voice. "People usually don't ask slaves anything. Let alone a ghoul slave like myself."

"I'm looking for someone. Was there a man in with you by the name of James? Middle aged man with grey hair, maybe wearing a Vault jumpsuit?"

She shook her head. "No. There was a large batch of slaves that were sent to the Pitt earlier this week. But none of them had a person by that name or description in with them."

"And why are you looking for this person?" A woman's voice from behind said.

Pegasus went for his gun afraid that he was caught. A blow to the back of his head sent him to the ground. When the daze passed, he felt a knee on his back, and the cold barrel of a gun against his cheek.

"Gonna put me in the pen?" Pegasus asked defiantly.

"So, you're not a raider." She stated, easing the pressure a bit. "So why are you looking for this man again?"

Seeing no point in lying. "He's family."  
She let him up. He turned to face a woman in a brown long coat, wearing a cowboy hat, not unlike Lucas Simms. She pointed her gun, which looked to be a long barreled .32 at him. "Were you hoping to find him, and buy him from the slavers? They'd just take your money, and sell you both to the Pitt for a profit."

"Jericho said they wouldn't do that. It's considered bad for business." Pegasus said.

"Jericho? You mean the retired raider? No surprise that he's back with his old family. Anyways, Eulogy only spares people who are known to him. You're just some guy who came walking in."

"Who are you? How do you know so much about the slave trade?" Pegasus asked.

She holstered her gun. "Name's Sonora Cruz. I'm a regulator patrolling the wasteland, trying to bring justice to the wasteland."

Pegasus was pleasantly surprised. It was nice to hear that not everyone out here was a trigger happy raider, cannibal, or super mutant. "And how do you bring your justice?"

"The gun." Sonora replied. "Since you're here, how about you help me out?"

"What are you attempting?"

"I was here to try and start a slave riot, and hopefully put a dent in the slave trade. But seeing how the Pitt bought most of them, I figured I can try and get them all out. Problem is they won't go too far before their heads explode."

"Yeah." Pegasus looked down seeing that Carter's blood was still on him.

"I can't be seen. You, however, can wander around. Talk to the children in the other pens. I saw one of them messing with a computer terminal and from what Miss Jeanette has told me, one of them is quite smart around computers."

"You're taking an awful big risk in this aren't you?" Pegasus asked.

"True, but I haven't shot you, and you haven't attempted to kill me, and if you tell Eulogy, then we're both dead or worse. So, if what you really mean is, it's a matter of trust between us, well we got no other choice but to trust each other."

That wasn't true. Pegasus didn't have to tell the slaves anything. He could just leave and let the slaves to their fates. He didn't think it would be wise to tell her that, and it wasn't like he could actually do that himself.

"What the hell you want, mungo?" One of the children snapped.

Pegasus raised his eyebrow in surprise. All the children were looking at him in contempt and defiance. Unlike their adult counterparts, these slaves hadn't had their spirits broken, yet.

Pegasus wanted to make sure they never where. "I want to help you."

"Yeah, right! Like any mungo would want to help us out!"

"Squirrel, maybe this one more like Rory!"

"Yeah, and he's in the box Penny!"

"Kids! Calm down." Pegasus needed them to stop shouting before they got them all in trouble. "I am here to help you."

"Don't listen to him." A voice said quietly from behind. Sammy appeared from behind some rubble, looking battered and bruised. "He just stood there while Carter was killed."

"There was nothing I could do." Pegasus protested. "There's no way I can kill all of them before I die, and believe me I would like to kill all of them."

Squirrel glanced to the side, and Pegasus went quiet. Glancing, he saw the slavers dragging Bleak back to the pens, throwing her roughly to the ground. She curled into a ball and said nothing.

"Hey Breadbox! Come here!" It was the raider in metal armor. "Wanna play our favorite game?!"

Neither slave stirred. The younger slaver in matching metal armor opened the pen, and dragged the older slave out.

"Hi ya Ymir. What can I do you for?" Breadbox tried to sound chipper.

"I know you stone deaf, but when I call, you best better answer." Ymir said loudly. "Now we're gonna play your favorite game."

Breadbox sighed. Turning around he loosened his pants, and started pulling them down.

"What are you doing?" Ymir stopped him. "Carolina wants to play with you."

"Please Ymir can't it just be you!?" Breadbox begged.

Ymir's answer was a slap. Seeing the tears in Breadbox's eyes, he walked defeated with the two raiders. Ymir glanced at Pegasus and gave him a curt nod.

Pegasus nodded back, disgusted that he did so. When they were gone, he saw the passed out drunk slave suddenly appear sober, and tried to help Bleak stand. She forced him away and pulled herself up using the gate. A look of hatred and defiance etched on her face.

"Unless you want to end up like Bleak or Breadbox I suggest you trust me." Pegasus whispered.

Perhaps it was something in his tone that convinced them. "Alright, I already got a plan to escape but it's these collars that are the problem. I need you to go into the theater and use it's terminal to shut these damn things down. That way when we leave the perimeter-"

"They don't blow your heads off." Pegasus finished. "I'll do it on one condition, help me get the others out too."

"I'll deactivate their collars. Getting out is their own business." Squirrel said.

"Fair enough."

"Please get Rory out of the box!" Penny pleaded.

"Where's the box?"

She pointed to a large metal tube that said Preservation Chamber in yellow lettering at the top. "They put unruly slaves in there for punishment. Rory got put in when he tried to stop Forty from touching me."

"You'll need a key. The Big Man carries it." Sammy said.

Nodding he went over to the other slave pens. "What the hell do you want." Bleak whispered, hatred in her breath.

"I'm trying to get you all out of here. Go to the back and talk to Jeanette, and be ready."

He headed to the theater before she could say anything.

The theater, like the rest of Paradise Falls, looked to be run down and destroyed. But on the inside, Pegasus found it had its own lighting, and he could hear music coming from somewhere inside. As he walked through its halls he found colorful banners, and sheets hanging off the walls to try and give the theater a look of splendor. Pegasus figured Eulogy was trying to give the impression of power and wealth.

The auditorium had been stripped of its chairs, the lights were working, and the projector highlighted a heart shaped bed where two women in pink dresses were putting on a show for several drooling raiders. Approaching on, Pegasus saw, in the far right corner, the computer.

"I'm looking for the Big Man, Eulogy." Pegasus guessed that they were one and the same.

"Over there." The raider pointed in the shadows. "Keep your gun holstered, and maintain a civil tongue."

Walking in the shadows, Eulogy stood out even in the darkness. A dark man wearing a bright red suit, and feathered cap, looking bored, watching the show.

"Well you gonna sit down?" He asked, not bothering to look up at Pegasus.

Sitting down, Pegasus noticed the gleam of a barrel pointed at him from Eulogy's lap. "I'm interested in purchasing some slaves."

"And it just so happens that I have some for sale." Eulogy said cheerfully.

"I saw your stock, and I am a bit disappointed." Pegasus put as much arrogance and contempt in his voice as he could. remembering the dismissive tones of the Overseer.

"Well the Pitt has been my biggest buyer. They always need more, as they call them, 'workers'." Eulogy chuckled. "However some of them will still make good servants."

"I'm not looking for a servant as much as I'm looking for someone who knows what they're doing out here in the wastes."

"Ah! A bodyguard! Normally I'd recommend buying one of the children. So much easier to mold the young ones into what you want." He looked over Pegasus. "But you look like a man who prefers being out on the open road, don't you? You got the air of a wanderer about you."

"Used to be part of a group, called themselves the Tunnel Snakes before they got wiped out. I don't like staying in one place for too long." Pegasus made up.

"And you need someone to watch your back without stabbing you in it." Eulogy mused. "Well, it just so happens that I have such a slave in stock. Clover! Get your fine ass over here!"

One of the women on the bed stopped dancing, and strutted over to them. Half her blonde hair was missing, and combed over to the side. She had a crazed look in her eyes that made Pegasus feel uneasy. A sawed-off shotgun was strapped to the side of her leg, and her hand gently rested over the handle. She wore the same kind of bomb collar the other slaves had on.

"Yes daddy?" Clover said in a strange accent that didn't seem to belong to anyone in the wasteland.

"Stand right there and shut up." Eulogy told her. "Well what do you think?"

"I need to look her over." Pegasus felt a lump in her stomach.

"Show him."

Clover undid the top of her dress revealing her breast and smiled. Pegasus noticed the scars and burn marks that looked like they'd put cigarettes out on her, and raw bite marks on her nipples. "Look any harder, and I'm going to have to start charging you." Clover teased.

"Daddy, what about me?" The other slave pleaded.

Clover's face contorted in rage, and she pointed the shotgun at her. "WAIT YOUR FUCKING TURN BITCH!"

All the raiders became quiet, and the tension in the air became thick. "Now Clover, what have I told you about your outrages?"

Clover looked subdued. "Sorry daddy." She meekly said, looking down. She looked more like a child then the children in the pens.

Gesturing her to approach. He twisted one of her breast painfully, and slapped her several times. She didn't flinch, just kept apologizing.

"My apologies." Eulogy said, sitting Clover in his lap. "She's a bit clingy to whoever owns her switch."

"I wanna see her in action." Pegasus stated.

"Well, if you're going to rent her-"

"In combat." Pegasus interrupted.

He heard several gasps, and even Clover looked wearily at Eulogy. Pegasus realized that he may have overstepped his bounds by speaking over eulogy.

"Well now. Someone that knows what they want, and isn't afraid to speak his mind about it. Very well, Crimson let's go."

The other slave hastily came to Eulogy's side, and Pegasus stepped behind them. Several raiders also followed. Pegasus had seen all he needed, he just needed a way to get them outside the theater.

It took Clover two seconds to draw her shotgun, and shoot both the targets ordered, she reloaded. And looked at them. "Was that good daddy?"

"You tell me?" Eulogy asked Pegasus.

"Yes! Very!" Pegasus was impressed by her skill, though he wondered why if she was such a good shot she was a slave. "How did she get so good?"

"She came with the skills when we rounded her up a few months back, along with Crimson." Eulogy pulled Crimson close. "A few months of 'training' and they're both obedient little girls. Aren't you girls?"

"Yes, daddy." They said in unison.

"And Clover is especially crazy. Crazy with a gun, crazy in the sack. Crazy every which way, and if you're the one holding her leash, then she'll be crazy for you. All for the price of a thousand caps."

"Five-hundred."

"I ought to sic Clover on your for insulting me." Eulogy threatened.

"She's damaged, and a little too crazy." Pegasus stated, trying to sound much like Eulogy, in terms of business. "I don't need her drawing on whoever comes talking to me."

"Damaged is the price for training a slave like her." Eulogy warned. "But she does make some of the others nervous, and that is bad for business. Tell you what, eight-hundred."

"Seven-fifty, no more."

"Deal." Pegasus took out the caps, and with an exchange of a detonator they were done.

"You my new Lover now?" Clover asked.

"Apparently so." Pegasus said, making sure the detonator was never going to go off in his bag. "I just need you to protect me."

"Whatever you say lover."

Someone screamed, and roaring laughter was heard coming from the bar.

"God damn it! What the hell are they doing now?" Eulogy complained, as he headed over to the commotion.

Pegasus rushed back to the restrooms. Clover followed behind him.

"Looking for a little privacy for us Lover?" Clover teased.

"Sonora, you still here?" Pegasus said, ignoring her. "If you're here, I need a distraction to get the guards out of the theater so I can hack the terminal, and I need it right now!"

There was no answer. He just hoped that she heard the message.

"Who the hell is Sonora?" Clover asked.

"Something that you need to keep to yourself. Is that understood?" Pegasus said.

"Yes, lover. I can keep a secret."

Knowing he still needed to keep face, he went to the bar to join the others. Finding Eulogy yelling at Carolina, while the other raiders where laughing hard. He saw why, Breadbox had a beer bottle shoved up his ass almost to the end.

"That is unacceptable Red." Eulogy said.

"It was fucking funny!" She protested. "Playing 'what's in the Breadbox' is always fun!"

"It lowers the value of the stock." Eulogy explained.

"Nobody's going to buy this old fuck!" Carolina said, kicking Breadbox down, knocking him on his back. He screamed as the bottle worked its way up. The raiders roared with laughter.

"Enough!' Eulogy roared. "Take Breadbox up to the clinic, and get that thing out of his ass! Carolina, anything that Cutter has to use is coming out of your pay!"

An explosion at one of the buildings, close to the entrance, got everyone's attention.

"What the fuck is this bullshit!" Eulogy screamed. "Everyone go and put out those fires."

Sirens sounded, and the people in the theater came pouring out. Pegasus backtracked thankful that Sonora heard him. The movie theater was completely empty, the only noise coming from the radio. Using his pip-boy, it was pathetically easy to hack into Eulogy's system. Ignoring Clover, he linked it to the outside terminal, and hoped Sammy got the message. He started his way out.

" _You're listening to Galaxy News Radio, and I'm your host, Three Dog, lord and master of all I survey!_ " Three Dog's voice was cheerful and friendly. Yet even more shocking was the name Galaxy News radio, that was where Gob said his father had been heading.

" _For those of you not in the know, to the northwest of Megaton there's this Vault, Vault 101. Now, believe it or not, this one's still got people livin' in it! And every few years or so, someone comes scrabblin' out. Well, wouldn't you know it, someone's come out of it again! And, I kid you not, he came to visit yours truly, right here in the studio! Now, this cat, James is his name, had been in that hole for years! He needed to know what was what out here in the beautiful Capital Wasteland! So I, the great and powerful Three Dog, set my brother straight. I told him what was what. Who are the winners, the losers, the movers and shakers. So if you see James out there, you say hello. Be kind to our new brother, and show him that here on the outside, we always fight the good fight. Hey, and in case a light bulb just started glowin' over your head, you can flick the switch and forget about it. You're not getting into that Vault. Whoever lives in there sure as Hell doesn't want what you're selling, and no, you can't knock down the door. It weighs like 13 tons._ "

Blank shock coursed through his system. He started laughing. He didn't find his father here. But he now knew where to look, he needed to meet this Three Dog, and find out where his dad went. Though knowing that he was still alive made him ecstatic.

"What the hell where you doing messing with Eulogy's shit?" Clover demanded.

"Helping people out. You are not to tell Eulogy anything about what happened in this room understand?" Pegasus said.

"Yes, lover." Clovers tone didn't inspire confidence.

"Do you know how to open the box?" He asked.

"Yeah, the key's right over there, by the bed, lover." Clover said.

"It's been right next to you, or Crimson the entire time, and neither one of you ever thought to pocket it?"

"Don't mention that loose skank to me! Besides, why would I?"

Whatever Eulogy did to her, that she would have such a low opinion of fellow slaves, spoke volumes to the depravity that happened inside Paradise Falls. He wanted to get out of here as soon as possible. Pocketing the key, he headed back to the slaves pens, finding all the guards were still busy putting out the fires.

"So are you connected?" Pegasus asked Squirrel.

"Yeah, the collars can be deactivated at any time. Thanks for this." Squirrel answered.

"What about Rory?" Penny asked.

Slipping her the key to the box. "That'll open it. Wait for the cover of nightfall, and then make your break for it."

"That was the plan anyways. Don't need your advice for that mungo." Sammy said.

"Hey, what's your name, mungo?" Penny asked.

"When you make it out of here, I'll tell you."

By orders of Eulogy, Paradise Falls was put in lock-down until his say so. The fires had nearly caught the second level of what was the barracks of the slavers. Without a large supply of water, they were forced to try and smother the flames with dirt and sand. Knowing that being in their good graces was the only way Pegasus could get out peacefully, he helped out with putting out the fires. After nearly twenty minutes, the flames were gone, though the smoke was thick, and reeked of burning furniture and chemicals.

"So what the fuck started the fires?' Eulogy demanded, shrugging off Crimson.

"Some asshole probably let their whiskey get too close to the torch." Carolina said. "I blame Ymir."

Eulogy took out the largest revolver that Pegasus had ever seen and pointed it directly at his head. "Never had any problems like this until you showed up. Don't think it's coincidence."

"Are you blaming me for starting a fire?" Pegasus demanded, trying to sound calm but the fear leaked into his voice. "How the hell could I have even started it. I was right behind you when it happened."

"He was man. I can vouch for him." Jericho said.

"Shut the fuck up, old man!" Eulogy demanded. "I wouldn't trust anything you say even if my life depended on it! Now how about you? What exactly was your business here in Paradise Falls?"

"I got my business." Pegasus said pointing at Clover. "Our business is now finished. Until I come back."

He could tell Eulogy wanted someone to blame for this mess, but with everyone watching him, if he just shot someone that bought a slave, it would mean that any buyer entering Paradise Falls would be potentially killed, or at least that's what Pegasus hoped Eulogy was thinking. Finally, after what felt like forever, he lifted his gun. "Since your business is finished then, why don't you leave?"

It wasn't a question. "Let's go, Jericho."

The three of them walked several minutes down the road away from Paradise Falls until, on a rocky hill, they were overlooking the main road leading to it.

"So you find what you were looking for?" Jericho asked.

"You still got anything in that flask?" Pegasus asked instead.

Giving it a swish, Pegasus took it, and took a long drink ignoring Jericho's protest. The alcohol burned his throat, and helped ease some of the tension in his body. Handing it back. "It's been a very long day; and to answer your question. In a manner of speaking I did."

"Okay. So who the fuck is this?" He indicated to Clover.

"I bought her."

"Looking for your old man, and you bought some washed up bitch instead."

Clover hit Jericho so hard she knocked the air out of him. Slamming him to the ground, she pounced on him, and started to claw away at his face.

"Clover stop it!"

Like flipping a switch, she stopped, and crazily looked at him. "You're no fun!" She teased.

"So she's a washed up, crazy bitch! What a deal!" Jericho said, brushing himself off.

"Head back to Megaton, Jericho. Your assistance is no longer required."

"What about my five-hundred caps?" Jericho demanded.

"You'll get it when I get back. Now get out of here. Because I'm heading to Arefu in a bit, and that wasn't in our contract."

Jericho shook his head. "You better have my fucking money when you get back."

Jericho headed back to Megaton. Something Pegasus was glad for. No way did he trust Jericho with seeing the slaves escaping. He just hoped that they did.

What passed was probably the most uncomfortable three hours of his life. The sun was setting, Clover kept pestering for something to do, or for them to at least go somewhere. He was tempted to tell her that she was free to go anywhere she wanted. But he was afraid that she'd head straight back to Eulogy's arms, and tell him what he'd done.

Finally at dusk, he saw movement at one of the old sewer gates. A child appeared from it, and then another, and another. Heading down there quickly, he saw someone, who appeared to be Jeanette, squeeze herself through the gate.

"Hey you!" Penny shouted. Before getting punched in the arm by the two boys. "Ow!Sorry for shouting." She whispered, when he approached.

"What the hell are you all doing out of your pens? Eulogy will have your heads." Clover said. She looked confused. "Why haven't you lost your heads yet?"

"Magic mungo." Squirrel said. Pegasus put a hand on Clovers shoulders, afraid that she'd attack him just for saying that.

"Where are the others?" Pegasus asked, noticing Jeanette was the only adult slave to make it through the gates.

"The pipes were far too narrow for most adult humans to make it through." Jeanette explained.

"So you just left them?"

"And why would you say that? I got in easily enough, and I'm fully grown."

By the wall of Paradise, Sonora stood, along with Breadbox and Bleak. Another slave was helping a man with grey hair come over the top of the fence, who collapsed in a heap when his feet touched the ground.

"Rory!" Penny said, running over to help her friend. "Come on Rory, we're free, you can't die now!"

"Thirsty." He rasped.

Pegasus did the only thing he could do, Gave Rory his canteen. He nearly drank the entire thing himself.

"Thanks you!" Rory said. "I was dying in that box! How'd you ever get me out!"

"He helped us out a bunch!" Penny said, pointing at Pegasus.

"True. I would've never been able to get you all out of there without this man's assistance." Sonora said. "Quickly, I need to get those collars off of you before they figure out what happened."

Sonora went to work on them, taking off each collar one by one. "I don't know what to say." Bleak said. "I never thought anyone would have helped us out. Why did you do it?"

"It was the right thing to do." Pegasus said. Clover laughed at that. Hearing that there was still some water in his canteen he handed it to Bleak. She took a drink and they passed the water between the slaves until it was empty. Something Pegasus didn't mind for the moment.

Sonora managed to get all there collars off. "Alright, I need to take all of you to the Temple of the Union."

"Hell, now we're going back to Little Lamplight." Squirrel said defiantly, as did the rest of the children.

"If you want to go there, I'm not going to stop you." Sonora said. Turning to Pegasus. "Thank you stranger. Know that the Regulators will be watching you." She hurried with the other slaves down the road.

"So, what's your name?" Penny asked. "Mine's Penelope."

"Call me Pegasus."

"Well Peggy." Squirrel said. "You're not bad for a mungo. So if you ever find yourself close to Little Lamplight, pay us a visit."

"I'll do that." Pegasus watched as the children quickly disappeared into the night.

After watching the slaves, and the children, head off on their own destinations, Pegasus headed to Arefu, with Clover in tow.


	11. Chapter 11 Family of Blood

"I'm Bored!" Clover complained.

Pegasus didn't reply. She'd been saying that ever since they left the slaves. The sun was setting rapidly, He was using his pip-boy light to read the map. He was trying to make his way to Arefu before all of Paradise Falls gets thrown into chaos with the missing slaves.

Finally, in the beginnings of the night, they made it to the metro station, where the bridge connecting to Arefu was. Unfortunately, the middle was missing, blown up by the looks of the rubble in the ditch. The only way across was either through murky waters, or going down the river banks until they found a crossing. Sitting on one of the metro benches that was still standing, the days' excitement all came crashing up to him, and he nearly passed out from exhaustion.

"This place sucks!" Clover said, standing looking at the sign that said Seneca Station.

"You can sit down you know." Pegasus said, stretching out trying to relax, it would have been so nice to take off his boots. His eyes flung open when he felt a hand caressing his crotch, and Clover leaning in seductively.

"Stop it!"

She flinched back like she was hurt. "Tease! I wonder what Eulogy's doing?"

"Probably freaking out at this point." That he figured was an inevitability. The thought that Eulogy would blame him even though he didn't have anything connecting him to the breakout came to his mind. Perhaps there'd be hunting parties sent out to find him, if they weren't out now. Or they would just attempt to round up any wandering person to make up for the loss in slaves.

"Why do you care what Eulogy's doing, weren't you his slave?"

"I'm yours now aren't I, Lover?"

"You could've left with the others. I wouldn't have minded."

"Why the hell would I do that? If anything I'd just go back to Eulogy's. There I at least always had a meal."

"And if I said you could leave right now?"

"I just go back to being Eulogy's Lover."

That he couldn't allow to happen. Not only for the risk to the other slaves, but just from what had happened to Clover herself. What the hell had he done to her to make her like this? Like it or not, she was his responsibility, and more disturbingly, his property.

Outrage washed away his exhaustion. "Come on, we need to get to Arefu."

They crossed a dried part of the river bed. His pip-boy beeped slightly, letting him know that the ground was slightly radiated. Finding a worn path, one that looked like it had been made after the war, by the passing of many feet, he followed it towards the other side of the bridge. As they approached, the rotting smell of meat hit their nostrils. Passing a metal shack on the side of the bridge, he illuminated the area around it, highlighting three dead brahmin.

"Smells like they've been dead for awhile." Pegasus gagged.

"Fucking gross! Can we get out of here now?" Clover said.

"I don't think this little shack is Arefu." Pegasus hoped that wasn't the case. On the bridge it looked as though a small settlement had been built on it. Walking up it, someone fired a bullet, nearly hitting him in the foot.

"Who the hell are you, and what are you doing here!?" Someone shouted from the ramp.

"Hold your fire! I'm here to deliver a message!" Pegasus shouted. Raising his hands, he slowly approached. Nudging Clover to do the same, she shrugged and mockingly put her own hands up.

"Way to get us captured." she sneered.

An old man came out from behind a pile of sand bags, shakily pointing an assault rifle at them.

"State your business in Arefu, quickly before something reckless happens!" He wheezed.

"I'm not looking for any trouble. I'm just here to deliver a letter to the West family from their daughter Lucy." Pegasus explained.

"Lucy? Haven't seen that girl in over two years. So you're not with the Family?"

"Who's the family?"

The old man lowered his gun. "Some group of ruffians causing all kinds of trouble to us. They even killed all of our brahmin in the last attack! We need those things to survive out here! Oh, this town is going to completely collapse before years' end now I just know it."

Looking passed him. Pegasus saw very few buildings on the road. "How many people live here?"  
"There's myself, the Ewers, Karen, and the West family, so seven people in all."

"Only seven?" Pegasus thought, with size of the bridge, and the fact that they were hanging over a large pool of water, that more people would be living here. Worse still, he realized that this place would be an easy target for Eulogy's slavers.

"So where is everyone?"

"I told them to remain inside until everything blows over. No way could we even stand against the family!"

Clover chuckled behind him.

"Hey can you do me a favor, and go check on everyone else? I want to make sure they're still okay."

"How long have they been in their house?"

"Three days. Needed to make sure they were safe."

Sounds like you're smothering them instead. "I'll go check on them." Pegasus could find the Wests, deliver the letter, and head back to Megaton, and sleep in without worry. Three dogs said his dad had just gotten to him, so he knew he was safe. He could go over everything and make a plan before he rushed out again.

The first door he knocked on were the Ewers. The husband was a bit short with him, while his wife was happily delusional. Thinking that he was a mailman coming to deliver her morning magazines. The second house he knocked on was Karen's, who opened the door with a .32 pointed at him. Glad it wasn't the spineless Evan King, who she told was the old man. She told them they were fine, and complained how doing nothing was killing this town. He had to back out slowly to get away from her angry rantings.

The third door, the one with the Wests didn't answer. Turning the handle he found that there residence was unlocked. He had to see if they were safe. Opening the door to a grisly sight.

Two decomposing bodies were strewn out in the ransacked shack. Drawers and bedding were flipped, Pegasus knew from the sight that anything of worth was taken in the raid, and in dark red letters across cabinet doors were the words: 'the Family.'

"What the hell is wrong with people on the outside." Pegasus whispered, looking at the carnage. Though there was something peculiar about the whole thing. Looking at the bodies of the Wests, Pegasus saw large puncture wounds along their necks that went down to the bone. The lack of bloodstains on the sheets didn't make any sense, wounds like that would have led to massive bleeding.

 _Thanks dad for training me._ He wasn't sure what to make of these killings. Something else came to his head. Evan said seven people lived in Arefu. Evan, the two Ewers, Karen, and the two dead wests. Someone was missing, another member of the West family he guessed.

"So everyone safe?" Evan asked eagerly.

"The West couple are dead. From the bodies I say they were killed three days ago in the last attack."

"Those bastards!" Evan said angrily. "What about Ian?

"Ian another member of the West family?"

"He is-was there son. Oh, we can't survive like this!"

"Do you know where the Family is camped. I might be able to rescue Ian, and put a stop to this."

"You'd do that, why?" Evan asked.

"Yeah, why would you?" Clover injected.

"Because it's the right thing to do. So do you know where they may be?"  
"Well the only places I can think of is: the Seneca Station, the Moonbeam Cinema, or Hamilton's Hideaway."

The Cinema was out, he had no idea where Hamilton's Hideaway was, the Seneca Station would be a good place to start.

"So why are you really doing this Lover?" Clover asked.

They had crossed the river banks heading to the Metro station, she'd been quiet up to that point.

"I told you, because it's the right thing to do." Pegasus explained.

"Bullshit. Nobody ever does anything kind for nothing. So what's the real reason? You trying to score with that Karen girl, I'm not good enough for you?"

"I already told you Clover, if you don't like it, that's your business. But I'm still going to need your help with it."

"Great, so I'm going to get killed along with you. Oh well, my life is in your hands lover."

She started humming. How casual she was with her life was disturbing to him. Though, he was glad that though she was complaining, she was still following him. Then again, that could just be all the brainwashing Eulogy had done to her.

The light of the moon illuminated the small square of the Metro Station. The light, however, didn't penetrate the darkness of the descending stairs. Using his pip-boy light, they descended to the bottom to find some barrels of fire on the left side of the tunnels. Perhaps the family was here after all.

A scurrying sound to the right made them both turn away from the lights.

"Look out!" Clover shouted, blowing a jumping mole rat out of the air. Firing her second round in another running towards them.

Drawing his pistol, Pegasus joined in the fight, shooting two more that came out.

"Can I have a better gun?" Clover asked after the fight.

"Who the hell are you!" A raspy voice shouted. The firelight illuminated the sight of a ghoul in cleaner combat armor then the one Pegasus currently wore, pointing a well maintained assault rifle at them both.

"Just passing through looking for someone." Pegasus explained, hoping that he could talk their way out of this.

"Well hit the road smooth skins, you didn't find who you were looking for here!"

"Who is that Barret. We have company?" Another ghoulish tone said.

"They just killed several of our mole rats Murphy!" Barret shouted back, not taking his eyes off the two.

"You didn't lock the pens again, did you Barret? Take it it's someone from the Family?"

"You know where the Family is!?" Pegasus shouted before Barret could reply. "Can I speak with you please!"  
"Please? Never heard anyone but Vance say that to me. Come on in. Barret let them through."

Barret didn't drop his weapon, but did wave them forward. "God damn! You are one ugly son of a bitch." He murmured as they passed.

Murphy was sitting on a desk with a makeshift chemistry test. His glasses, and long lab coat, gave the impression of a scientist, reminding Pegasus of Jonas, minus the rotting skin.

"How many are dead?" Murphy asked.

"Four." Pegasus answered.

"That's not so bad. The things reproduce quickly enough, and I got enough feed for them. So, what brings a smooth skin couple to my place at this time of night?"

"We're looking for the Family." Pegasus decided it wasn't worth correcting him about the couple part. "You wouldn't know where to find them would you?"

"You going to kill them?" Murphy asked.

"They've been attacking Arefu."

"That doesn't answer my question."

"Probably, they've killed and kidnapped from Arefu."

"I doubt they've done that." Murphy laughed. "But if you want to die, you can go in guns blazing, or you can talk to Vance, and see what happened."

"And where can I find Vance?"

"Merseti train yards. Not that far east from here. Just stick to the road, and you'll find it."

Nearly an hour later, walking east on the road, they found the derelict trains rusting away on the rails. Murphy hadn't lied to them after all. Looking in the trains, the insides looked like they hadn't been used in decades. The Family wasn't living in them, so where were they?

A clinkering sound put them on edge, it was moving towards them in rhythmic steps. Taking cover behind some scrap, the glowing dome was the thing that they both noticed first: the glow of a protectrons head.

Turning towards where they were. "HOSTILES DETECTED"" a laser beam hit the far left where they were hiding. "LETHAL FORCE AUTHORIZED!"

They both fired into it, the dome shattered, and it crumbled into a scrap heap.

"Watchdog of the Family, eh?" Clover said, nudging it with her foot.

"I don't think so. It looks like it's been wandering for a while." Pegasus inspected the protectron, finding it to be a very weathered olive green with the faded symbol of the U.S. Army on it. It had been wandering, protecting D.C. for over a century since the bombs fell.

Ripping it apart, Pegasus took out it's fission battery, and the small energy cells that powered it. Looking at its ruins, he felt a ping of regret. If he could have only stunned it, he could've reprogrammed it, then it would be a watchdog of his own.

The protectron was here, and their gun fire didn't draw anyone out of the trains. Pegasus guessed that they where underground. Heading over to the service tunnels, found the door unlocked.

The clearance of debris told him that he was right, seeing the glow of lights put any doubts of people living here out of his head. Following the lights, he stepped close to a baby carriage when it started to cry. Curious he highlighted it with his pip-boy light only to see a makeshift bomb in place of a baby. Ducking for cover, he felt a piece of shrapnel hit him in the back. Wincing, he was thankful for Lucas's armor, it had stopped it from going too deep. He would have to keep it in until he could properly sow the wound close.

"You alright there lover?" Clover asked.

"I'll be fine. Let's be a little more cautious, alright?" Pegasus groaned.

"Tell that to yourself." Clover snipped.

They kept going, slower this time around. Pegasus found a tripwire that was set to trigger a rigged shotgun, disarming it he found the shotgun to be an army model. Remembering reading about it in the magazines that Herman kept, a semi-automatic with a drum magazine meant for close combat.

"You wanted a better gun? Here." Pegasus said, handing it to Clover.

"Oh thanks Lover!" Clover said, doing a weapons check on it that impressed him.

Pegasus missed a pressure plate that released a weight that nearly took their heads off, only by quickly ducking did they manage to avoid it. In a narrow area between two train cars, Pegasus found an old pitching machine, it was aimed down the pathway that was the only way down. Hitting the switch, it shot out a full container of baseballs, all going at least 90 miles per hour. Something that would cripple most people.

At the bottom, the area was highlighted by red light, hearing noise down the right tunnel, he knew he needed to go that way. Yet his path was blocked by a sea of garbage covering the tracks.

Taking some of the baseballs, he tossed them into the trash, hearing the beeping he took cover as the mine went off. Throwing several more, two more mines went off until he saw a clear path leading down into the tunnel he wanted to go to.

As they approached, the sounds turned out to be the radio, playing a familiar tune of Yankee Doodle. The sounds of a cocking gun overcame the music.

"Now just who the hell are you two?" A man stepping from a metal fence said, a combat shotgun pointed at Pegasus. "Thought some more mirelurks set off the mines." The man was highlighted by the glow of lamps behind him, a bearded man with long hair behind a bandana, wearing the same kind of combat armor Pegasus wore, even looking as well maintained.

"I need to see Vance and ask him about the attacks on Arefu." Pegasus didn't know why he was telling him this, but for some reason he felt as though he could trust the man. He had the same kind of aura of trust that Mojo or Lucas had, and like Sonora not long ago, he had to trust the truth to someone with a gun pointed at him.

"That was a mistake that Vance doesn't want ever happening again. You can tell Evan King that they're be no more business like that between the Family and them."

"What about Ian?" Pegasus blurted. "He's with you isn't he?"

"They send you to recover him? Ian came with us willingly. We're his family now."

"I have a letter from his sister, his last living blood family." Pegasus said, reaching inside the armor. Going slow as to not be mistaken as hostile, he pulled out the letter, handing it to the man.

He unfolded it and read it quickly, the gun never wavered off of Pegasus, Clover made a sudden move, and the gun was quickly turned on her.

"We don't mean any harm." Pegasus said.

"We'll see." He said folding the letter back up. "You leave your weapons with me. But you can go on in."

He opened the gates, indicating the empty table, they set their weapons there.

"Hands against the wall, and spread your feet." He said, feeling the cold barrel of a pistol against his temple, as he was patted down.

 _"Greetings, dearest America. This is your President, John Henry Eden. Let's chat, shall we?"_ The voice of the President was coming from the radio again _. We live in an age of poverty, greed, violence... destruction. Indeed, the very seat of the Federal government, Washington D.C., has been reduced to what is now known as the "Capital Wasteland."_

Clover was complaining bitterly about a man touching here without paying first. "Clover shut up!" Pegasus snapped, wanting to not miss anything the President was saying, because now he was saying something interesting.

" _The Capital Wasteland... How did it come to this, America? How did your leaders allow the most powerful nation on Earth… to die? The answer is really quite simple. Incompetence. Incompetence at the highest echelons of power. We put our trust, our faith, in halfwits. Our intrepid leaders had everything they wanted. Power. Wealth. Prestige. And it made them lazy, America. Oh yes. And laziness breeds stupidity. Rest assured, I will not make the mistakes of my predecessors. When John Henry Eden builds a country, he builds it to last. The American way. Don't you, my darling America, deserve that? Don't you deserve a future free of war, and fear, and terrible uncertainty? Of course you do. As President of the United States, you have my solemn pledge that I will never rest, NEVER rest, until we all have what we deserve. A place to truly call... home."_

 _"_ Alright you're cleared to go ahead." the guard said.

Pegasus didn't hear him, all his attention was on the radio. _"But for now, my America, we must part. Restoring the greatest country in the world to its former glory, well. That takes time, even for the Enclave."_ Eden stopped talking and 'America the Beautiful started playing'.

"How long has President Eden been talking?" Pegasus asked.

"I don't know, remember him talking back when I was just a kid." He replied. "It's either a pre-war patriot station playing in infinite loop, or some crazy guy with a radio tower talking into it. Sort of like Three Dog and Galaxy news. Really nothing to get worked up about.

Pegasus wasn't so sure. Eden had called D.C. the Capital Wasteland. Indicating that he was someone of this time, or at least someone from after the war. He had constantly referred to the Enclave like it was a current group working towards restoring a working government. He'd first dismissed the floating eye-bot at the beginning, and even Mojo said that he'd only heard of the Enclave, never saw it. Yet now he heard of a possibility that it existed.

Focus on one thing at a time. He told himself. If the Enclave did exist, then they might be able to help him, if President Eden wasn't completely full of himself.

Entering the main halls of the Merseti station, the thoughts of helping the wasteland were put on hold, he needed to help out one person first. The lights of the barrel fires highlighted the pale people who stood armed, and in dark leather. They all looked pale, as though not seeing any U.V light in days. They were each carrying weapons, far superior than anything Pegasus had seen in Arefu, even looking superior to Paradise Falls.

"So why did Robert let you through?" A man looking hardly any older then Pegasus asked.

"Hey! Don't be so mean Alan!" A woman with curly orange hair, and a low top revealing tight cleavage said. "Might be a new member coming to join us!"

"I'm looking for Vance." Pegasus addressed Alan, so as not to stare at her breast. "I need to talk to him about what happened at Arefu."

"You here for revenge?" Alan asked his hands resting on his assault rifle.

"No. I need to talk about what happened." Pegasus said loudly.

"What happened was a mistake. That will not happen again." A woman's voice boomed. "Alan! Brianna! Do not be hostile to our guests. We are not barbarians! We have to redeem ourselves for your actions to their cattle, Alan!"

"It was an accident Holly!"

The woman ignored him. "These walls echo well. So you need to see Vance? Come up, he's looking forward to your visit, outsider."

"Clover stay here, and stay out of trouble."

"But that's so boring Lover." she protested.

"If you're bored, I can help you with that?" Brianna said seductively.

"Brianna, please do not offer your services to the uninitiated." Holly chided. "This way." she said to Pegasus when he reached to top.

She took him to a chair next to a small fire. Gentle footsteps approached from the darkness, she stepped away, and became silhouetted against the shadows. She stopped to lean in and from what he could make out, she was kissing a tall man. Stepping into the light, his eerily pale skin, and long black mantle gave the impression of an otherworld creature, of something that truly lived in the darkness. Sitting across from Pegasus, the light gave the illusion that it was only the two of them in the Metro Station.

"I am Vance, Father and leader of the Family." He greeted in a soothing monotone. "I am ever regretful for the slaughter of your cattle, Human."

"It's not the brahmin I'm here for Vance. I'm here for what happened to the West family."

"Ah, a most unfortunate circumstance." Vance sighed. "It saddens me so, when one's own loved ones must suffer for the affliction. It is why I've given Ian sanctuary here. And why I've allowed the Family to take the blame for the tragedy, human."

"I don't know what you mean?" Pegasus said. "Can you explain what's going on? Why do you call me human. As though I'm separate from you?" Pegasus had to rub the sleep out of his eyes, all the running around for the past day was taking its toll.

"To explain that. You must understand the Family." Vance said.

He told how they were all outcast, labeled demons, and freaks for their innate need for flesh. The label of cannibal makes them unwelcome in the light of society. All of it was told with flowery prose and words. Vance liked to talk in an almost poetic tone. Pegasus still understood most of it though, they had stopped eating flesh to instead only drink blood, becoming a form of vampire.

"You amaze me. I've never met a human with your gift of cognition before." Vance said. Lest you think I believe I can turn into a bat, and fly away? Of course not. Do I cast my image in the mirror? Absolutely. I have given these lost souls of the wasteland a purpose and identity. I have shown them the ways of the vampire. I've provided them shelter, organization, and a sense of belonging."

"That's great Vance. It still doesn't explain what happened to Ian, and the Wests."

"You do not understand? You disappoint me." Vance chided.

Pegasus stared into the fire, silently piecing it all together. "Are you saying, Ian killed his parents?"

"I was mistaken about you. Yes, his craving for flesh overwhelmed him, and caused him to kill his parents. It was by my intervention that he wasn't lost to his hunger forever."

"I, don't know what to say." Pegasus thought of what he would tell Lucy when he got back. Her parents killed by her own brother? How can someone live with that kind of knowledge?

"Ian is to be left in solitude, he has already talked to his blood brother Justin about his inner struggle. Now he must make his decision for himself."

"I need to see him." Pegasus said. "I have a letter from his sister."

"A tie to his humanity? Then all the more reason he needs to be left alone." Vance said.

You said it's a choice. So let him read the letter, and let him choose which family he wants to belong to."

Vance leaned back, and to Pegasus surprise, he was smiling. "An excellent point. I shall take you to him myself."

"Come to stare at the freak?"  
Pegasus sat across from Ian. The young man looked like he'd been crying for days, trying to figure out what had happened.

"I've come to help you. You're a hard man to find Ian." Said Pegasus. "I have a letter from your sister."

"I don't have a sister. The only family I had is dead, and I don't even know how they died."

"Can you explain what happened?" Pegasus had no idea how to be a grief counselor, but maybe he just needed someone to hear him out.

"I'm a mutant! A freak!" Ian wailed. "Ever since I was a child, I've felt this hunger inside of me. Once it overcame me when some wastelanders tried to steal our brahmin. I tried to stop them, but they just laughed at me. The next thing I know, my sister was pulling me off of one. I had ripped his throat out with my teeth."

"Sounds like you were defending the brahmin."

"You'd think that. But I found myself relishing the taste of the man's blood on my lips. I told my sister that, she told me to keep it to myself.

"Every time I got an urge to feed, my sister was there ready to pull me back from the brink. But then she left, and we were stuck in that shack for what felt like days, and I... The next think I knew, I was staring at the bodies of my parents, and Vance came in, he put an arm around me. Like he expected this to happen. He took the blame, and led me here."

Part of Pegasus felt disgusted at Ian, another part pitied him. He let Ian continue to rant, wondering if Ian would do more good with the Family then back at Arefu. Vance had proven to be a reasonable, albeit a bit creepy, man. He was sure that he'd support Ian either way. "Ian, I think you should read your sisters letter."

Handing it to him, he saw the darkness in Ian's eyes light up, however slightly. "She really misses me a lot. I miss her as well."

"That's your choice Ian. You can stay in this family in the tunnels, or you can go back to Arefu, and wait for your blood family to find you."

"I guess, I just needed someone to hear what I wanted to say. Thanks, I'm going to go back to Arefu, I'm going to have to deal with this on my own. I need to pack a few things and say goodbye to the Family.

"Don't worry. You're going to have company on the way back."

"I am disappointed." Vance said melancholic. "It pains me to see one of our flock leave, but I do not put chains on anyone here."

"Vance, you said that you learned how to drink the blood, and leave the flesh right? What if I said we can get a way for Arefu to exist, and you can feed without destroying it?"

"that would be magnificent, but it only sounds like a dream." Vance said.

"Come with me and Ian to Arefu. I'll explain my idea on the way."

Evan King shakily pointed his gun at them, looking as though he had been waiting on needles, when they approached.

"What the hell do you people want!" He said anxiously. "What a minute! Ian? And you two strangers? Who's the strange one?"

"I am Vance, patron of the Family. Now Evan." Vance said, raising his hands when Evan pointed the rifle at him. "There's no need for hostilities."

"No need! You've killed our brahmin, and our people! I should shoot you for what you've done!"

"We've come to apologize for the brahmin. And to show my good will, I've returned Ian, and offer you supplies."

Pegasus, Clover, and Vance all dropped small caches of supplies that was procured from Karl, the Family's merchant, and outside supplier. Unfortunately, the supplies came at the cost of Pegasus's fission battery.

Evan looked confusingly between Pegasus and Vance. "I thought you were going to take care of our problem."

"And so I am." Pegasus said. "Vance has a proposition for you."

"Why should I make any deals with a band of murderers?" Evan snapped.

"I understand your distrust. But know that it was not I that killed the West family."

"Really then who-"

"I did!" Ian said. "I killed them. I was going insane with hunger and after four days without eating-." Ian dropped to his knees crying.

"Ian you did that?" Evan said shocked.

"Yes he did. I found him huddled over their corpses, mourning their deaths." Vance said. "I allowed the Family to take the blame for the killings, for I did not expect to ever come back here again."

Evan wasn't sure how to respond. "Well then, why are you here now?"  
"My people may have not killed the Wests, but we did feed off of them." Vance said. Pegasus cringed as Vance explained how they drank the blood of humans, instead of eating the flesh.

"So the deal I have come up with, is that you give us blood packs, and in return you'll receive the protection of the family. We eat, and you are allowed to thrive in the protection of our shadows. What do you say Human?"

"I say that you sound like the craziest nutcases this side of the wasteland!" Evan said opening one of the caches of supplies. "Holy Moley! This is a lot of meat." he said taking out a piece of jerky. "Is this-"

"We do not eat the flesh, drink only the blood." Vance defended. "Mirelurk meat."

"Well this will help us out something fierce." Evan said. "Well perhaps this wasn't such a bad idea after all. You got a deal Vance."

"Excellent! Alan and Brianna shall patrol during the night, and Justin shall protect you during the day."

"Who?"

"That'll be us." Alan said from the shadows. They stepped forward, each carrying an assault rifle. Even Pegasus was surprised by how quiet they were. "We followed in case there was any shooting."

"And on my orders." Vance said. "I wish for trust to exist between the two of us, human."

"Well you got the firepower to wipe us out, and didn't. So I say, I got no choice but to trust you." Evan said. Holding out his hand.

Vance smiled and shook it. "Thank you human for making peace between us." He said putting a hand on Pegasus' shoulder.

"I don't know how to thank you two strangers, in just a day you seemed to solve all our problems, and I don't even know your names."

"That's Clover. I'm Pegasus." Pegasus said.

"A beast of valor and inspiration. A good name for a peacemaker such as yourself." Said Vance.

"Well if I had two caps to rub together, I'd give them to you. Hopefully, that will change now."

"Both of you can do me a favor. Vance can you get Clover some decent armor instead of the old dirty pink dress she's wearing, and we need a place to sleep."


	12. Chapter 12 Moving Up in The World

"Quit your squirming you pansy!"

Doc church poured a bit of home whiskey over the wound as a painkiller. Pegasus felt the pliers dig into his flesh, and he squeezed the rubber ball as to not cry out in pain.

"There, a very small piece of metal is now out of your skin." He put a piece of metal half an inch long in front of him. Pegasus groaned painfully, when he felt Church start stitching the wound close. "Wasting my time with such little shit as this."

"A wound like that can get infected and kill me." Said Pegasus, looking at the so called medical shed of Megaton. Most of doc Church's supplies were either alcohol, or material you use to not scream. Pegasus had chosen the rubber ball over a piece of leather that had several distinct bite marks.

"Well next time be nearly dying before coming in here and wasting my time." Church poured a glass of painkiller, and gulped it down. "Pay up, and get outta here."

He headed back to his house, finding Wadsworth dusting off the already spotless metal locker.

"Good Morning Sir! I trust the doctor treated you well?" Wadsworth greeted.

"Just fine, thank you." Pegasus said. "Though I'm a little worried about our funds now." After making it back, and paying off Jericho, buying some more ammo, for Clover's shotgun, and with the doctor bills, he was down to just over a hundred caps.

"Well it's a good thing you don't pay me sir! Otherwise I may have to find new employment!" Wadsworth joked.

"Well lover, if you need some caps, I can be a 'working' girl for ya?"

Clover came down from the second level. She wore the black leather outfit that the Family had graciously gave her for helping them. The outfit gave protection, while emphasizing her curves. Something that Pegasus was slightly peeved about, it hid her scars all too well. She still wore that collar around her neck, the only thing that he wished to take off her, but knew it was too risky to let her off on her own.

"We'll find another way to make some caps. Right now I need to change, and talk to Gob. Find out how to get to Galaxy News Radio." In truth he wanted to get out of Megaton, as soon as possible, he didn't want to tell Lucy West the bad news of her family.

Moriarty's Saloon was a lot quieter than usual, the static that usually came from the radio was off, and the few people that were there were drinking in silence. Hearing the sounds of bed springs and grunts, he figured Nova was working on a customer.

"Hey Gob I got some good news." Pegasus said, sitting at the front. "My dad made it to Three Dog!"

Gob didn't look up, he seemingly ignored him, and continued to shine away at an already clean glass.

"Gob, what's wrong?" Pegasus asked.

God didn't say anything, only glancing up meekly, before continuing to work the bar. An orgasmic scream came from above, not a minute later, Jericho came down still buckling up his pants.

"Your money is well spent Peg!" Jericho said, smiling at Pegasus. "With Moriarty's discount I got three instead of just one today!" Jericho stumbled his way out.

"What's he talking about?" Pegasus demanded from Gob.

"I shouldn't have helped you." Gob muttered.

Nova came down, and went to the corner booth by the bar, she glanced hatefully at Pegasus. to his shock one of her eyes was black and swollen shut and dark bruises covered her neck and chest.

"We got beaten pretty badly." Gob muttered. "Since I cheated Colin out of three-hundred caps, he's forcing Nova to give people a discount to seventy-five a client, and still charging us room and board."

"Why her, and not just you!?" Pegasus demanded.

Gob chuckled. "Who wants to spend a night with a ghoul?"  
"Ah top of the morning to you lad!" The hatefully fake accent said from the storage room. "How's the family?"

Colin's cheerful smile faltered at Pegasus's glare. "Well I take it didn't go so well with your old man then? Couldn't find him, get a little lost?"

"Turn on the radio and find out. Gob." Pegasus gestured.

"Gob's not allowed to turn on the radio from now on. Been giving him too much freedom as is."

Pegasus reached over, and turned on the radio, static filled the air.

"Sounds like your old man is doing well for himself." Colin teased.

"Quite well actually. Got himself a radio interview with Three Dog himself."

"Well that's good. He made it there, and didn't die."

"Just like Silver. She's not dead yet, either."

"Ah Silver. I take it you've talked to her then? Couldn't get my money back from her, spend it all on drugs, the strung out whore." Colin turned to Nova. "You could pay me back if you'd stop wasting all your money on Jet yourself lassie."

"Actually she's used your money as a bit of a startup. Got herself quite the business over by the school, prepping ant meat for passing travelers. Quite good really. She said she ought to thank the stupid bastard for being so careless with his money, but figured that she took what was owed to her. Could've been a business partner with you, and started flowing in the caps."

Colin laughed. "I doubt that Silver could've done anything like that."

Pegasus dumped all of his caps on the table, 145, all that he had left. "A small payment for my help in bring her some ants by the school."

Pegasus saw his bluff worked, Colin eyed the caps longingly as he scooped them back up. "Where is she again? Close to the school?"

"Why the fuck should I tell you anything? Gob, here's ten caps just for being a good employee. Come see me when you get the chance. Silver can make you some real money."

"Pegasus stop mentioning her!" Gob rasped.

Colin came to and grabbed Pegasus by the collar. pulling him close, he could smell alcohol on his breath. "I think you're bullshitting me boy. I think you got that money elsewhere than her, I think you never found your father. I think he died without some paladin bitch protecting him. You never made it too far yourself, I think the school bandits scared you off, and you were to ashamed to show your face around her again."

Pegasus attempted to struggle free from Colin grasp. "Believe whatever you want, you drunken parasitical fuck. Just know you're never going to see another cap from her, or from me!"

Colin punched him in the stomach. He'd had harder hits from Butch, but needed it to look real. Gasping for breath, Colin threw him to the ground, and started kicking him wherever. It was wild, and only trying to cause pain, Pegasus moved his body so the blows wouldn't do anything more then leave him sore, and bruised, for a few days.

"Okay! You want to know where she is, right?!" Pegasus pleaded. "She's in an old house by the school!"

Colin grabbed him by the hair, and forced him to look in his eyes. "That's a good boy. Now once I get done with that bitch, you and I are gonna be square." Colin stole his pistol, and headed out.

Pegasus waited until he was sure Colin was heading off. Gob and Nova were both next to him, checking to see if he was okay. His springing up like the beating never happened was another shock to them.

"You're fine?" Nova asked.

"No, and I'm sorry for what happened to you." Pegasus didn't know how else to apologize to her except for what he was about to do. "Gob, how well do you know the traders that Colin deals with?"

"Pretty well. Colin usually has me deal with them-"

"That's all I needed to know." Pegasus said leaving.

"Thought you could hide from me you druggy bitch!" Colin shouted kicking down the door.

Hearing John Henry Eden give some stupid speech, Colin shot it with his stolen gun. The boy took good care of his gun, and it was in the best shape of a weapon he'd ever seen. Guess a benefit from living in the cubby hole. Though he saw the remains of a giant ant, the kitchen didn't look like no ant cooking business. Heading to the living room, Colin laughed at the mess of empty inhalers, and syringes that littered the floor, and poor Silver. She looked as through she'd lost thirty pounds since she stole from him, laying strung out in the recliner. She still had her curves though, and the gentle movement of her breast meant she was still alive, he may get one final use of her, before blowing her brains out.

Seeing her stir, her eyes wide opened in shock, the sight of him sobered her up quick. "Colin?" she said meekly.

He laughed. She didn't have the strength to even shout. "Aye lass!" He ripped her shirt as she fell. She tried to crawl away, but her strength gave out quickly. "Oh how I've missed that ass!"  
"How did you find me?" she whimpered.

"How the hell could I not?! You didn't even hide that far away. The real question is, why it took me so long to find ya. Now Sliver you owe me, and I am going to collect with interest." He said, unbuckling his pants.

"No."

"Maybe you should've thought of that before you stole from me."

He smiled as she crawled her way to the kitchen. The lighting from the doorway cast a silhouette that Colin hadn't noticed, he saw the boy standing next to a blonde broad with a slave collar on, pointing a shotgun at him.

The sound damn near blew out his ears, the warm sensation in his belly made him think that he just drank a fifth of whiskey. Looking down he saw his intestines starting to spill out from the wound in his belly. He let out a gentle laugh, no way this boy from the Vault just killed him. He was just some Vault pansy looking for daddy. No way...

Moriarty's body twitched in death. "Thanks Clover." Pegasus said, handing back her shotgun.

"You always welcome to whatever you want lover." replied Clover.

Taking back his pistol, he found a key hanging around his neck, and ripped it off. Finding nothing else on him, he knelt next to Silver, who was shaking badly from fright.

"We going to kill her to?" Clover asked.

"No! Clover be quiet, please." She rolled her eyes, and leaned on the doorway, looking skeptically at them both.

"You told him where I was?" Silver asked.

"I needed him out of the town, so I could shoot him without getting into trouble with Simms. Wasteland justice rules out here, and that justice is the gun. Sorry I used you as bait."

"He's dead though?" She asked.

Pegasus nodded.

"Good." she drifted in and out of consciousness.

"Clover, help me get her back to Megaton."

They left Silver with doc Church, who was even more infuriated for having a second patient that day. Silver had more drugs in her then he'd ever seen: Psycho, Mentats, Jet, Church. Said it was amazing that she was still alive. So Pegasus found out what he could do, and with a hundred caps, gave Silver a full detox. Something that was going to take several hours, and be very painful.

Lover, you do realize we're broke now. Right?" Clover said, as they entered Moriarty's Saloon.

The saloon was completely empty. He guessed it was still too early for people to be getting piss drunk, or people thought to give this place a wide berth when Colin was angry.

That was something they wouldn't have to deal with anymore. "Gob, Nova I need to speak with you."

"I don't think Colin would like that very much." Gob said.

"Colins retiring, he wants you to take over the bar." Pegasus said sitting down.

"You killed him." She said agape.

Pegasus put the key he took on the counter. "This saloon, it's both of yours now. Sell it, or take his name down, and turn it into Nova's Rest, or Gob's Tavern. Megaton could benefit with the two of you staying though."

They both looked at each other, and back at Pegasus, as though their minds were still trying to process their reversal of fortunes.

"You're just giving us that key? That key goes to his safe. Where he keeps all the caps. You're not going to empty it for yourself?"

"That's a good idea! We should do that lover!" Clover agreed.

"Keep it." All three of them let out gasps of shock. "Just give me drinks on the house, and maybe give my friend a room to stay in."

"I live with you lover." Clover objected

"Alright, if anyone else comes, please give them a room."

Nova snatched up the key. "I need to see how much is there."

"And Nova, I want to see you privately." Pegasus said.

An upset look crossed her face. "I really want to get out of the business, but if that's what you want-"

"Why does every woman I meet think I want to get into their pants!" Pegasus complained. "I want to treat your wounds, I'm not exactly a doctor, but I do know enough of first aid to help with the worst of the bruises, and that eye of yours. Privacy is for patient confidentiality you know."

"No, I don't know." Nova smiled weakly at him, and headed up. Gob locked the front door, and followed.

Colin's room was larger, and had better amenities then the rest of the Saloon. Nova had already cracked open the safe, and seemed shock by all the caps that were in there. The entire bottom of the safe was packed with caps.

"Son of a bitch was sitting on a fortune, and made us work to the bone!" Nova snapped.

"Well it's yours now. I hope you spend it wisely." Pegasus said from behind.

"You're just letting them have all that?!" Clover demanded. "Eulogy would've shot both of them dead, and party for months on end with all those caps!"

"I'm not Eulogy."

"Yeah you're completely boring, and fucking stupid! You're so soft, it's a shock you didn't just melt when you first stepped into the Capital Wasteland!"

Gob looked between Pegasus and Clover. Wondering who was going to do what. "Pegasus, you mean we can just take all this for ourselves, and the bar too?"

"Well if Silver wants to come back, can you give her a position?"

"Absolutely." Gob smiled, he laughed a heartfelt laugh, rushing up to Pegasus and hugged him tightly. Pegasus did his best not to grimace at the smell or feel of his irradiated flesh. "I've been around for a long time, and I've never thought I'd ever meet anyone as kind as you."

"I'm amazed he's lasted this long." Clover muttered.

Gob gave him access to Colin's terminal, downloading all the information on his pip-boy, transferring it to his home terminal before putting on his armor and heading off. Gob had told him the quickest way to get to Galaxy News radio was to cross the bridge by Wilhelm's Wharf, and take the DuPont Metro rail close to the Anchorage Memorial, it would lead him the closest to the GNR station.

Clover never stopped complaining how they were walking all the way there, when they could've just paid someone else to go instead, and gotten pissed drunk, or partied the entire time with all those caps he had given away.

"Clover you should save your strength. Instead of complaining, why don't you be quiet and keep a look out for any raiders or attackers." Pegasus said, taking a small drink from his canteen. Wadsworth had managed to get a liter of clean water from his dehumidifiers, splitting that with Clovers (Mojo's old) flask, and his canteen. He filled the rest with filtered dirty water, if careful, they could have enough water to last them a few days. If Clover didn't waste it all parching her thirst from complaining.

Taking a drink from her flask. "Why did you just let them have it? And the hell did you help out that drugged up bimbo? Or those stupid settlers in Arefu, and the hell you doing helping out slaves? You know Eulogy's going to want your head now, right?"

"Just doing good Mojo." Pegasus said.

"The fuck is Mojo? Sounds like something Eulogy used to complain about."

Pegasus smiled, but hid it from her. He hoped that Wasteland Guardian had been a huge thorn in his side.

Sticking to the road, a piece of advice Simms gave him was to keep the Washington Monument in your sight as a reference point. He came across the largest body of water he'd ever seen, a river that seemed to be flowing its way all the way up to Arefu. Though as temping as it was to drink to his content, his pip-boy showed that the water was highly irradiated, and from its grayish green color, who knew how many heavy, or atomic, minerals were floating around in the river. Seeing an old shack that stood out of place among the ruins, and in the distance behind it bridges across the river, an old woman sat eating a plate of meat. She spotted them, and raised her hunting rifle towards them.

"I mean you no harm." Pegasus said, raising his hands.

She set the rifle down, but not out of hands reach. "Can never be too careful out here lad. Well rest your weary feet, and tell if old Grandma Sparkle can get you anything?"

"Is this Wilhelm's' Wharf?" Pegasus asked to make sure, Gob had said that madam Sparkle ran the place with her children.

"Well look no further youngins, you found it." Eyeing him. "Say, that's a nice Vault suit you're wearing. Couple of folks came by here, saying they were looking for some Vault do gooder."

Sounds like something Butch would say if the Vault was opened. "What did these people look like?"

"Oh they were carrying enough fire power to take down a super mutant, wearing dark armor, had a symbol on it that I can't quite remember. I told them I never seen a Vault dweller in nearly twenty years, and they went on their way. Well can't say I haven't seen one now!" She chuckled.

"Well we can't stay to eat. Does that bridge lead close to DuPont station?" He asked.

"Cross that, and pass the Anchorage Memorial." She said.

Saying thanks, they headed off. They stopped at the entrance of the bridge to stare in amazement at what lay before them, landmines. Not just some that they could've been avoided, or set off, the mines went all the way to the end. He counted at least two dozen of them. Most of them were packed in the middle, so if one went off, they all would, and take out the middle of the bridge.

There was another bridge within sight, down the road. However, it led into a bunch of ruins that looked difficult to work around. Looking back at the mines he wondered why anyone would want to have this bridge blocked off?  
"Well now, if it isn't the little saint from the Vault." A sneering voice came from behind.

Three figures came from behind the ruins, they matched the description that Grandma Sparkle had given, they wore black combat armor that looked lighter than the one Lucas had let him borrow. Though more clean, and not worn with age, with a white Talon painted on the breast. Two of them carried Chinese assault rifles, while the third carried a laser rifle, something that he'd only seen in magazines.

"We've been looking for you." The mocking tone the Tunnel Snakes used before picking a fight. He wasn't sure he was going to win this one. Looking around, he only had the bridge, downhill, and the ruins past them for cover. They picked a good ambush spot.

"What do you want?" Pegasus asked. If they hadn't just shot him in the back, then they might be reasoned with.

"You've pissed off the wrong people Pegasus. Going around saving those from the destruction that they deserve. You get that?" The Talon asked another.

"Yeah, got it." The other hit a recorder's off button.

"Don't know why the fuck he wanted you to hear that, I thought your head would do, but extra caps!" He said, raising his rifle.

"Hey Boys! I see you're all just standing around!" Grandma Sparkle yelled out to them. "I got Mirelurk soup here waiting to be eaten!"

The Talons looked over to her for just a second, it was the only opportunity he had.

He rushed them, taking out his baton, smashing it across the face of one, and the knee of another, being so close they wouldn't fire without risk of hitting their allies.

He was wrong. One fired the laser rifle point-blank into his chest. The armor melted and burned his chest. Screaming in pain, he managed to shove his pistol under the Talons chin and pull the trigger, collapsing with the dead Talon.

Two shotguns blast rang out. Pegasus felt the warm spray of blood, and pieces of skull, hit his face as he ripped off the Vault armor, preventing it from cooling into his chest.

Getting to see the short, but grisly, battle, he had blown the back of one's head off, while Clover had taken two of theirs heads off at the jaw.

"You look nice lover." Clover admired his bare chest. "Though I think you could use a little special healing."

The bruises from the school had faded to a light purple, but now deep 2nd degree burn marks from his now useless armor added to it.

"I just need to take it easy for a few weeks." Pegasus said, picking up Wanda. Going over to the bodies, he started unstrapping their armor, and went through their pockets. With how crazy his first week out in the Wasteland had turned into, he doubted that was ever going to happen.

"Robbing the dead lover?" Clover mocked.

"They're not going to need it anymore." He answered, dragging the body towards the river, tossing it in. "Help me with the other two."

One of them had a holo-tape recorder, the sight of it brought joy through the pain. Now he had a way to play his dad's final recording. Possibly find out what the hell happened back down in the Vault. On the one with the laser rifle, who he guessed had been the leader, he unwrapped a piece of paper. Fresh paper, not something crumbly or yellow with age:

 _Find Pegasus and show how we treat people that fail to live up to Mr. Tenpenny's expectations. Record the final message and bring me his head, I want him to realize why he is dead for a bonus. Do not fail me. You know what will happen if you arouse my displeasure._

 _-B_

B. Who would be the one person that he'd pissed off so much to hire a hit on him?

"Burke." Saying the name out loud made it all clear. He'd tried to bribe him to blow up Megaton. Now the bounty for Megaton was placed on his head.

"Who the hells Burke?" Clover asked. "Another person you saved?"

"No. Someone I pissed off. I'll explain on the way back to Megaton."

Finding his dad fell back on his priorities. Right now he needed to find a way to get this price off his head.


	13. Chapter 13 Aiding The Outcasts

_Hold on Jonas, I need to record this first._

Pegasus rubbed burn ointment, from the Vault medical kit, onto his wounds while listening to the recording. Clover was snoring on his bed, her bare back turned to him. The hot night made them both strip to next to nothing. He insisted Clover got the bed and he would sleep on the floor. Lost in his thoughts, he hit play again, missing nearly everything his dad had just said: _I don't really know how to tell you this. I hope you'll understand, but I know you might be angry._ _I thought about it for a long time, but in the end I decided it was best for you not to know. So many things could have gone wrong, and there's really no telling how the Overseer will react when he finds out. It's best if he can blame everything on me. Obviously, you already know that I'm gone. It was something I needed to do. You're an adult now. You're ready to be on your own. Maybe someday, things will change and we can see each other again. I can't tell you why I left or where I'm going. I don't want you to follow me. God knows life in the Vault isn't perfect, but at least you'll be safe. Just knowing that will be enough to keep me going._ _Don't mean to rush you, Doc, but I'd feel better if we got this over with. Okay. Go ahead._ _Goodbye. I love you._

His dad was part right, he was pretty pissed at him. The worst part of it was, his dad didn't say where he was going. He didn't want him following him, and left that part out. The sad thing was, that if the Overseer hadn't tried to kill him, he would've stayed in the Vault like his dad asked.

"No choice but to follow you now." He said aloud. Looking over the Vault records, he discovered that the Overseer had been suspicious of him and Amata for quite some time. How he tried to get the Tunnel Snakes to bully any information out of the Vault residents of the comings and goings between the two of them. The worries of his daughter would've been touching, if they weren't so filled with paranoid delusions of her safety. It made him afraid for her, and the rest of the Vault residents, if he may have become even more paranoid after the incident.

The worst thing about the logs wasn't just the Overseers' logs. Apparently, the previous Overseer had tried to make an embassy between the Vault, and Megaton. The one before that had known that the wasteland was harsh but habitable. They had known for nearly fifty years that Vault 101 wasn't the last bastion of humanity, and still lied to everyone down there. Well they couldn't keep that a secret now.

That fact gave him an idea. Using his terminal he opened a blank document.

Field Report, the Capital Wasteland: Field Officer, Albert James, for Overseer Amata Almodovar

He started typing in everything that he'd discovered into the report. Knowing that the Vault could use all the information of the outside that he could possibly get. He smiled at Amata's name, in a roundabout way, what they had planned years ago was happening.

He was in the middle of recommending trade items when someone knocked at the door. He hoped it was Moira coming by with the Talon armor he'd given her. She had taken both Clover and his measurements, and was making it so the armor would fit them. Surprised that Silver was standing outside his doorway. Her face looked sunken, and her body malnourished, her eyes had a spark in them unlike the dull haze back in the old house.

"Church told me that you payed for my detox." She said, trying not to look him in the eyes. "What do you want from me?"

"What do you mean?" Pegasus was confused, though he quickly figured out what she meant. "I don't want you to sleep with me, Silver."

"Why did you help me then?" Silver finally looked at him, a bewildered look on her face. "Nobody helps anybody out here without wanting something in return!?"

"I do want something. I want you to live, and be happy." Pegasus answered. "Go talk to Gob, when you get the chance, he might have a job for you back at the saloon. It's his and Nova's now."

"Gob and Nova, they put up with more of Colin's shit then I could ever hope to. I thought that it was because they were to scared to do anything. But while I was out there, the only thing I could do was get high, and try to forget my even shittier situation." She shook her head. "I really thought I was going to die out there, I had nowhere else to go, I couldn't even come back here in fear of Moriarty. I really don't know how to thank you."

"Next time I go up to the Saloon, buy me a drink." Pegasus said, smiling kindly at her.

Tears filled her eyes. "I never thought anyone like you even existed."

She gave him a gentle hug, he returned her friendly affection not sure what to say. The people out here acted as though kindness was such a foreign substance, that I would be poison if they accepted it. That was something that he made a note to put in his report.

"So where are we going again?" Clover asked.

"To Tenpenny Tower." Pegasus replied. Crazy Wolfgang had been in Craterside when he picked up the armor, he gladly gave him directions towards the place where a giant price on his head was. Now he just needed to find Burke and 'persuade' him to take the price off.

They were walking in the midday sun heading south, with the derelict ruins of D.C. in the distance. Wolfgang told him that Tenpenny Tower stood alone in the wasteland, that it was impossible to describe, that he'd know it when he saw it. Moira had added that when they found an old Robo Co. Facility, then he'd be close to the Tower.

"Only ever heard of that place before, they say that it's the only place where you can get clean water in the wasteland." Clover said.

"Then why don't they start bottling it, and selling it?" Pegasus asked.

"I know Eulogy could be hitting every caravan that he could find. Getting slaves and water to sell at the same time would be a booming business, and he be just the biggest of dozens of people looking to get pieces of that action. Anyone stupid enough to just be marching water across the wasteland is just asking to get robbed of it.

Kinda like you lover. Going around pissing off the wrong people, and you wonder why you have a price on your head?"

Pegasus wheeled around at her, and seeing a smug look on her face said, "so you know, Burke wanted to blow up Megaton! Set off the nuke in the middle of the town, and wanted me to do it! I'm kinda happy that I pissed him off! I'm not happy with having a bunch of hit men coming after me."

"Well if the people of Megaton couldn't have stopped you, or stopped the bomb, then they would deserve anything that was coming to them." She sneered.

"You think they deserve to be destroyed?" He asked.

"If they couldn't stop it? Yeah!"

He shook his head in disgust. He wondered if that was Eulogy speaking through her, or if that was what she truly believed. His pip-boy started beeping. It had picked up a radio signal. Strange, the only thing that he'd been picking up was the Enclave signal that never seemed to end? Tuning his pip-boy to the frequency:

" _This is Defender Morill, any outcasts listening on this frequency report to sector 7-B, Bailey's Crossroads. This is a high-priority message! Backup is needed at our location. Any personnel listening on this frequency please report at once._ "

Tuning his pip-boy to hone in on the location, the marker showed that the signal was coming from somewhere in the derelict city. If they got closer, his pip-boy would be able to lead them directly to Morill.

"Let's go Clover." Pegasus said heading towards the signal.

"Thought we where going to Tenpenny's?" She asked. "What, being a charity not good enough? Gotta go play a hero too?"

"Yes! Now come on!" He stated.

"I know about the outcasts! We're not one of them, they'd just shoot us when they see us!" Clover said.

"How do you know that?" He asked still heading towards the signal.

Clover was right behind him. Following out of loyalty, or because of her training he didn't know. "Cause they're brotherhood assholes who shot at us all the damn time! The ones in black are the worst, because they always shoot whoever approaches. Never stopping to ask like the grey ones."

"The grey ones tried to talk to you first?" Pegasus asked.

"Yeah. It's nice because they give us a chance to line up our sights." Clover replied. "The fucking Brotherhood of Steel, they try to be heroes like you, but are never there when they're actually needed. Fuck, they're not even good heroes, seeing how the outcasts split from them."

"Why's that?" Pegasus asked.

"Fuck if I know! Ask them if you're so goddamn curious!"

"I'll do that when we save them." Pegasus said over Clover's groans.

The radio signal lead them to an underground metro system. The tunnels were lit by working electric lights, sounds of gunfire echoed down the tunnels. The gunshots were loud and fast, automatic weapons were being fired. Following the lights, the sounds of familiar screaming could be heard over the sounds of the gunfire. Dread filled him at the sound

The metro exit to Bailey's Crossroads deafened them with the sounds of gunfire. Seeing a figure in black t-51d power armor firing a minigun into a crowd of super mutants. Four rushed the lone figure, pieces of several were flying off behind them as they kept moving, as though pain only motivated them.

Taking cover behind some rubble, Pegasus fired Wanda at the oncoming mutants.

"So, think you can get out of this one, huh lover!?" Clover demanded, taking cover next to him firing the Chinese assault rifle.

She could be right. He thought. He'd had enough trouble taking out just one of these things. What chance could they have against nearly half a dozen?

Firing Wanda, he saw one of them fall to the ground, another torn to shreds by the miniguns fire. They were dying, so they had a chance.

A mutant threw something towards where they were hiding, Pegasus saw it bounce close to them, and saw it for what it was.

"Take cover!" He shouted, dragging Clover, and himself, down the Bailey stairs, as the grenade went off.

"I'M HUNGRY!" A mutant shouted, looking down at them. It carried a sledge hammer, and raised it overhead, charging towards them.

They both raised their rifles, and fired every round they had into the thing. It fell to the ground between them, Clover took off the top of its head with a shot from her shotgun.

"Can we get out of here now!?" She demanded.

Reloading, he headed back up. Seeing the outcast in melee with one of the mutants, the power armor was the only thing letting him stand his ground against the thing. Throwing it to the ground, firing the minigun until nothing remained of its head.

"What do you got, a death wish?" The outcast said, looking him over, his voice amplified, and distorted, by the helmet. "What the hell you doing wandering into a firefight local?"

"Defender Morill?" Pegasus asked. "I picked up a distress signal, and came to help."

"How the hell did you pick up my-" Morill broke off. "That device on your wrist is a pip-boy? I know someone that might want to speak with you, local."

"Well I hope that-" A gunshot, and a sudden pain to his back silenced Pegasus' reply. Several more super mutants, these ones, firing hunting rifles, shot at them from behind some sandbags.

"Look, you want to help, just take cover, and don't die!" Morill shouted, firing back.

Taking cover behind a fountain, Morill and Pegasus fought the super mutants. In the corner, Pegasus saw Clover sneaking her way up to the side of the firefight. With the mutants attention on the two, they didn't see her come up from the side until she blew two fist size holes in one's chest.

The other stood up and shot at her, giving Pegasus a clear shot at its head. The shot didn't kill it, but gave Clover enough time to reload, and finish it off.

"Nicely done locals." Morill sounded impressed. More gunfire came from one of the larger buildings. "Come on, we need to regroup with my squad."

"Thought you didn't want to help?" Pegasus teased.

"You're my lover. Though I might not like it, I'll bark or bite what you say."

"Were you ever this vocal with dissent to Eulogy?"

She looked like she'd just been slapped. "I'm sorry Daddy! I won't back talk no more!"

"No, it's alright. I really don't mind you-THE FUCK IS THAT!?"

They rounded a corner in a ruined apartment, seeing a creature of nightmares shuffling towards them. The torso resembled a human, but the bottom looked to be a bag of flesh with hands sticking out of it. The hideous creature had seven arms and no legs, and the arms were where the legs were supposed to go, and protruding bone where the arms would be. It opened it's mouth, and three large tentalces wiggled out, black slime dripped from each one.

It reared its head and spat a ball of slime at them.

Morill stood in front and took the hit. The slime sizzled and bubbled, leaving a worn spot where the black paint had been melted off.

They all fired at the thing, it gave one death rattle, and slumped over dead.

"Centaur." Morill shouted over the sounds of gunfire. "How you not know that local?"

"Where the hell did that thing come from?!" Pegasus demanded. Wanting to know, so he could stay as far away from that place as he could.

"Who knows? Probably the same nightmare pit the super mutants crawl out of." Morill answered. "We look like Lyons bunch? We don't bother asking that question."

Pegasus had no idea who Lyons was, nor had the time to ask. Rounding a hallway to another firefight, two other outcasts were on the lower level, being shot at by more super mutants. These ones looked a lot like the first one he'd fought, using pieces of bent metal for armor, and wearing helmets that looked far too tight for their heads. He was just glad each one wasn't using a minigun, unfortunately, they were all carrying R91's.

The super mutants noticed them and fired. All three of them got hit, while Morill charged in, firing his minigun at the upper level. Clover and Pegasus were forced to take cover behind whatever they could. The firefight lasted nearly a minute. The outcasts took the brunt of the super mutants attack, allowing two to move around and flank the mutants. Pegasus' and Clover's new Talon armor had been cracked by the impact of several bullets, Clover even took one out of her breastplate, and tossed it to the ground.

"Initiates report!" Morill demanded.

"We lost two paladins, and three initiates making our way to here!" The initiate replied. "Paladin Rubisco is badly hurt and needs-"

Whatever Rubisco needed was drowned out by an explosion where the initiates were. Pegasus saw one was thrown several feet away. One of his arms had been thrown in the opposite direction. A mutant wearing goggles, carrying a missile launcher, aimed at Morill and fired. The explosion took out the upper floor, sending Morill tumbling to the ground.

It started putting in another rocket. Pegasus shot at it but Wanda clicked. He was dry. Seeing a makeshift bridge of beams, he took out is pistol and fired at it as he rushed to the bridge. The mutant didn't even flinch, or break stride. It aimed, and the explosion behind Pegasus sent him to his stomach, next to another dead mutant and it's R91.

He fired the weapon at it, depleting the magazine after several shots. Throwing the gun at the mutant to distract it, he picked up another rifle and emptied that one as well. Seeing a spare magazine, he reloaded, and fired rhythmically at the mutants, slowly making it back up until, at the edge of the apartment, the ruined floors crumbled under its own weight sending it tumbling to the ground.

Morill got up from the rubble, limping his way to the initiates. One was badly shaken, but otherwise unharmed. The other had bled out, and the rocket blast had destroyed the wounded Rubisco. The super mutant twitched, so Morill riddled it with bullets.

"We're not going to make it out of here are we?" The initiate mumbled.

"Stow the belly aching, and let's make it back to base. That local may be the key for us to get out of here."

"Here." Pegasus said, handing Clover some 5.56 rounds.

She gave a curt nod, and accepted the bullets. Not saying anything.

Morill took point, and led them through the ruins, running into several more super mutants on the way. By the time that fight was over, Morill shouldered his minigun, and forced the initiate to take point. Pegasus groaned when he heard the sounds of yet more gunshots. They were all nearly out of ammo, another fight and they would all be dead.

"Hurry, we're near the Outpost!" Morill shouted.

The gunshots turned out not to be coming from the super mutants, but from several turrets firing laser beams like a gatling gun. Several charred, and smoking, husks of super mutants dotted the ground around the outpost. Some bodies even within striking distance of the turrets.

Walking past the turrets, Pegasus breathed a sigh of relief. Seeing two more figures in the black power armor of the outcasts, both of them pointed their guns at him and Clover.

"Who the hell's this?" One asked. "Morill, you going around picking up strays now?"

"Stand down. We would've never made it without the help of those two." Morill said. "Besides, I think they can help us out with our problem."

"What the hell can a local do that Specialist Olin can't?" One demanded. Seeing the pip-boy strapped to his arm. "Well I'll be." He whispered.

Morill took off his helmet. Revealing a young black man with a boyish face, and buzz cut hair. "Defender Morill requesting permission to send down two locals with items of interest." His voice was surprisingly gentle without the helmet distorting it. "I think they have the key."

Pegasus didn't hear the reply. The ground parted and a red elevator came up from the ground.

"Alright, McGraw wants to talk to you. Head on down." Morill said.

He had no idea what was going on, but knew better then to disobey. They would probably kill them if he refused.

"And you said they'd just shoot us on sight." Pegasus joked on the elevator, trying to lighten the mood.

Clover didn't reply, she looked straight ahead, not even looking at him, absorbed in the passing metal walls that seemed to get cleaner the further they descended.

"Hey you can talk to me, I don't mind, really."

"Daddy don't like back talk. Always had a problem with that, sorry daddy." Clover mumbled

"I don't mind your back talk, and please don't call me daddy. My name's Pegasus, or if you want to keep calling me lover, that's fine to."

"But you haven't even touched me. Why not?" Clover asked.

"Because there's already a woman in my life. We're just separated right now."

"I don't need no competition lover! You dump the broad and stick with me cause I don't like to share!" She replied in her familiar callous tone.

He smiled. Biting his tongue at her sudden hostility, glad that he was 'lover' again and not 'daddy'. The elevator stopped at the bottom level, a pair of metal automatic doors much like the Vaults opened. Three outcasts all pointing weapons at them where there greeting.

"Keep your weapons holstered if you like to keep your head." The middle outcast sneered. "I'm Defender Sibley, and I'll be taking you to Protector McGraw, and don't touch anything. Don't need local filth dirtying up any equipment."

The bunker had to have been the cleanest place he'd seen since leaving the Vault. Light strips illuminated the white concrete, and the metal showed no signs of rust. They walked past several other outcasts, some of them ignored them, while most of them seemed to glare at them through their helmets.

"So what are you people doing way out here?" Pegasus asked.

"None of your damn business, local." Sibley sneered. Pegasus noticed that Sibley had a slight limp on his left side. "It's not like you'd be able to understand anything that was going on here anyways."

Seeing the familiar glow of red power lights, Pegasus glanced into the large room, seeing a women in dark robes, and short blonde hair checking over the super computers. In the middle was a strange looking pod that he'd never seen before. Another outcast pushed him forward when he lingered a second too long for their liking.

"Here he is Protector." Sibley said to a man with square sandy hair and goatee. Pegasus noted that Sibley put as much contempt in 'protector' as he could. "The local savior that saved all of two of the field squad."

"Two returning alive is better than none returning at all." McGraw replied, looking calm, though his tone had an edge. "Next time you can go on a search and rescue for our missing squadron."

"It was more of them needing reinforcements than rescuing." Pegasus said. "Looks like you have enough men to rescue them."

"I do, but I need my people here to protect the reasons why we're here." McGraw replied.

"I take it has something to do with the super computer in the back? And you need some sort of interface, such as my pip-boy, in order to access it." Pegasus said.

Sibley stood speechless, while McGraw raised an eyebrow, clearly impressed.

"So you're not as stupid as most locals. Big deal!" Sibley muttered. "I say we just take the pip-boy from him and access it ourselves!"

"That won't work. Each pip-boy is interfaced with the person it belongs to. It won't work for anyone else."

He left out the fact that he could take it off and give it to them so they could use it. That seemed like a bad bargaining position.

"Sibley, wait outside. I want to talk to our guests alone."

Sibley knocked over a stool to relieve his frustrations as he stormed off.

"Please sit, the both of you." McGraw indicated to two stools. "Now I trust a local to shine my armor, and that's pushing it. But our records indicate that there is some high class technology behind the locked door. But we can't access it until someone completes a computer simulation of the Anchorage Reclamation."

"The Anchorage Reclamation?" Pegasus had read about that in his history books. The Chinese had invaded Alaska and taken the Alaskan pipeline of oil for themselves. America fought for, and took back, Alaska, along with annexing all of Canada.

"Look, you don't need to know what it is. You just need to know that with your pip-boy, you're the only one that can interface with the suit, and enter the VR Pod."

"Virtual Reality Pod? Is that the thing in the super computer room?"

"Yep. You're pretty smart for a Local. What about you? You know anything about computers and history?" McGraw asked Clover.

"I just know that if it don't work, you should shoot it." Clover replied.

"That's more of a local response." McGraw said. "Tell you what, you do this for me, and I'll let you have first pick of what's in that room, deal?"

"Do we have a choice?"

"Yes, you do. You both can leave right now, if you want. I won't stop you, and I'll make sure Sibley, or anyone else, doesn't try to stop you either."

Fighting there way here had cost them nearly all the armor they had, and looking at the cracked and broken remains of the combat armor they were wearing, meant they weren't going to last through the next fire fight with anyone. It was just a simulation. Should be nothing to worry about, how long would it take?

"Make way people, the local saviors are here!" Sibly shouted.

Pegasus could hear them whispering about them though they were only parts of a larger conversation he had no clue about. Something about 'Lyons' and maybe they shouldn't have left. It was whispering that he was all to familiar with. The whispering of doubt and conspiracy. He hoped they didn't do anything stupid while he was in this simulation.

"Who the hell's this, Sibley?" The blonde woman asked, wiping sweat from her brow.

"Another guinea pig for you, Olin. Hope you don't break it like that last one." Sibley laughed.

"That wasn't my fault, and you know it, Sibley." Olin snapped. She turned her hawkish face towards him. "Last person who came in here with one of those was very uncooperative. So he was 'dealt' with."

From the tone he guessed what 'dealt' with meant. He hoped that wouldn't happen to either him or Clover.

"I only need you. Tell your slave to wait outside." Olin said.

"She's not my slave!" Pegasus retorted back.

"That collar says otherwise. Now do it."

"You letting me go lover?" Clover asked, a curious look on her face.

Gritting his teeth in frustration. He didn't want to say he was her owner. Then again, he didn't know what she'd do without someone telling her what to do. "Just wait for me outside and don't cause any trouble."

"Yes lover."

"Good. Now strip to your bare ass." Olin said when Clover left, her face had a look of disgust on it.

"I know that it looks wrong with her obeying me like that." Pegasus said, taking off his armor. Slightly wondering what Olin needed with him naked.

"You stink." She snapped.

"Look I bought her to get her away from-"

"You both stink. When the hell was the last time you took a wash!?" She demanded "The neural interface suit is going to need a thorough scrubbing after you're through with it!"

Giving himself a smell, he did smell a bit musty. He realized that he hadn't washed up since leaving the Vault over a week ago. 'Locals' must've gotten used to the smell of dirty bodies, and he'd gotten used to it to.

"Now the thing about this simulation is the neurological connections." Olin explained as he put on the suit. "The simulation is going to be as real as possible. In the pod, your mind won't be able to tell the difference between what's real and what's not. And the simulation is going to have all safety features turned off. So, you die in there, you die in reality."

"What!?" Pegasus stopped putting on the suit. McGraw didn't let him know that when he accepted!

"Don't worry. I'm cheating the best I can. I put health, and ammo, stations in the simulation, and they'll be glowing, so you can see them with no problem. Just touch one and any damage to your body will be healed and your guns will be loaded."

That didn't seem very realistic, but he'd take any advantage he could get. Sitting in the pod, Olin checked to make sure he was connected completely. The pip-boy connected with the suit, and the yellow parts of it started to glow, he was now connected.

"This isn't exactly the military training simulation that it was designed for. Treat it like a high stakes video game. You only got one life, and we got only one shot of getting behind those doors. So don't lose."

"Thanks for the encouragement." Pegasus mumbled as the pod shut him in.

The pod's lights dimmed, and he couldn't hear anything outside his pod. A screen came down covering his eyes, and a countdown of 10 started. He felt himself starting to drift into a deep sleep and at 1 everything became dark.


	14. Chapter 14 Guns of Anchorage

It was cold.

The cold air stung his face like he walked into a vault freezer twenty below. He felt his teeth clatter, he wasn't sure if they were actually clattering or the simulation. He looked around to see where the hell he was?

He stopped and gasped at the beautiful sight before him. In the distance were snow covered mountains, beneath them a lush green forest that stretched further then all the Capital Wasteland. The greatest of all though, was the sky. The pure blue sky, no fallout still hanging in the air. The only thing blocking his view was the snowflakes the wind carried from the cliff he was on. He thought the outside was beautiful when he first stepped out of the vault. Now he looked upon what had been destroyed. Knowing that the Capital Wasteland was nothing more than the dead carcass of this once beautiful world.

"Taking in the sights? We came to do a job soldier not sightseeing!"

The voice jumped him back into action. He needed to get through this simulation to get back to the real world. "Sorry?" Pegasus said seeing who talked to him.

"Sorry what Private X?" The plain looking man said.

"Private X?" Pegasus said confusingly. Until it hit him, X was the palace holder for whosevers name and the Outcast hadn't bothered putting his in.

"Sorry Sargent Montgomery Sir! Look rookie I know this is your first mission, but you need to be somewhat professional during missions."

"Sorry. Sir." Pegasus was deeply confused as to what's going on. "Uhm. What's our mission?"

"Must've hit your head on the way in; we need to take out the Chinese cannons so our troops can land and take back Alaska!"

"Aright. I'm taking the cliff route. You're taking the scenic route and make your way into the Chinese fortification. Meet you on the inside. Good luck X!"

And like that, the Sargent climbed up the rocks and disappeared. Pegasus started checking himself over. Finding that his face was covered with a winter mask and combat helmet and was still cold. He wore white combat armor and was carrying only a trench knife and a silenced N99 compact.

With no other choice, he pressed forward. Finding that the Cliffside path quickly ended replaced with a metal walkway, he saw a man wearing a jumpsuit with the Chinese flag on the shoulder, carrying a type 17 patrolling the catwalk. The man turned and walked the other way.

Pegasus silently got close and with the N99 shot him in the head. The wind covered the noise of the bullet and the quickly grunt of the Chinese soldiers' death.

Pegasus went to pick up the assault rifle, when it digitalized and vanished before he got the chance. The soldiers body also digitized away. The compact could only carry nine shots, he took a look and found only eight still in the magazine and a spare one in his pack. The simulation was sticking him to what he had on him. He wouldn't be allowed to pick up anything else.

Someone shouted in a language he didn't understand. He glanced up to see a Chinese soldier aiming his gun at him. Taking cover, the bullets echoed throughout the cliffs. This simulation was truly a marvel to behold.

Too bad he couldn't just reset the whole thing. Firing several rounds the soldier kneeled and dematerialized. Figuring he needed to get through this thing as quickly as possible he started to run. a red glow caught his eye in an office, a red tank that looked completely out of place in the this setting with the words 'HEALTH' in large yellow letters embroidered on it.

Hearing a loud gunshot echo through the cliffs, a burning pain it him in the chest. His blood squirted out in front of him and his vision became suddenly blurry. Putting his hand to his wound, he saw that he could've hit his fist through the hole in his chest. He was dead, his mind didn't know it yet.

Stumbling, every move felt as though he was carrying a vault door on his limbs. Falling forward he managed to touch the health tank. Suddenly his vision became clear and the weight in his limbs lifted, he gasped quickly and saw that the hole in him was gone, it looked as though he'd never been hit.

"Some cheat their Olin." He mumbled. He was healed but that pain had felt far too real. For a brief second he truly thought he was going to die. He would've died except for this bending of the rules.

He needed to be more careful. Looking around for any weapons he could use to take out the sniper, there was nothing in else in the post, bullets shattered the windows trying to take out his head. There was only one thing to do, try and cover the ground between them and take him out.

Running as fast as he could, he weaved and ducked as much as possible on the narrow bridge to the next outpost. Hearing the bullets shatter the rocks behind him he dived into the outpost, debris covered him as the sniper took on last shot at him and hit the concrete entrance.

Hearing shouting in Chinese, looking out, seeing at least a dozen Chinese soldiers heading towards him, and the sniper perched on a rock covering there advance. It took one last shot at him as he ducked for cover. there was something else though, on the counter a glowing red Chinese assault rifle and several grenades also had the red outline upon them, and there was a strange looking box with the word 'AMMO' in the same yellow letters as the health dispenser.

Firing the Chinese assault rifle at the upcoming soldier, he was glad that the thing was working for him, however he ran out of rounds quickly and heard them still coming. Hitting the ammo dispenser, he felt the gun become heavier as though loaded and spat out a fresh magazine for him. He kept firing and reloading and every time he ran out hit the dispenser. The gun didn't seem to overheat or jam he could fire the thing endlessly. The soldiers marching on him fired back, but with no cover and limited ammunition he saw each on flicked and digitized as they were killed.

Fully loaded, he charged out of the bunker laying suppressive fire towards the sniper as he rushed to where it was hiding. Trying his best to pin it down, he managed to cross the final bridge onto the mountain path, throwing a grenade between the rocks he heard a shout in Chinese as the sniper jumped to avoid the explosion. Pegasus unloaded half a magazine into the sniper, he kept shooting even as the body digitized.

"that's for nearly killing me you bastard!" He shouted. His shout was answered by the sounds of numerous Chinese soldiers.

"So much for stealth." He muttered. Fighting his way passed the many Chinese soldiers, he killed everyone that stood in his way, he stopped counting after the seventh digitization of the body. He wasn't a one-man army however, he felt several bullets penetrate his armor and several go through him, the burning sensation followed by the numbing coldness that followed. He was being quite reckless, simply because of the simulations dispensers could heal him and give him infinite ammo. Though the wounds still felt very real, he hoped that in the real world, he wouldn't be shot as many times.

Limping through an ice cavern, leaving a trail of blood behind him. His body was riddled with bullets, he thought that if someone was to shake him he'd jingle. The pain from the wounds was starting to take here toll and his vison tunneled. On a table ahead of him, were smaller versions of the dispenser's that he'd passed before. Touching the health one, his vision cleared and he felt as though he'd woken from a good rest.

"If only life was this easy." He muttered picking up some more ammo from the dispenser. Looking around he was relieved to see things that he could hide behind. If there was something to be learned in this simulation it was the importance of cover.

Hearing the Chinese shouting, he ducked behind a rock waiting for the shooting to start happening. Someone did fire, but no bullets hit where he was hiding. Glancing out, he briefly saw what looked like an American solider fall to the ground before digitizing. However, whatever gun they had been carrying had not.

Curious, he carefully snuck his way to the gun. Finding it to be a rifle of make he had no clue of. He'd seen the laser rifles that the powered armored soldiers used in his history books and old weapons magazines, but this rifle looked too sleek to be either a laser weapon or kinetic weapon. So lost in figuring out what exactly it was he almost didn't hear the Chinese soldier shout, snapping him out of his daze.

Acting on instinct, he pointed the weapon and fired. It didn't' make a small explosion like most bullets it didn't even have that much recoil, instead it sounded like metal quickly grinding against metal and the bullet flew straight. The Chinese soldiers' chest exploded, leaving a hole the size of a soccer ball as his body flew over backwards from the force. It hit the wall and splattered as it digitized.

"Holy shit!" Pegasus whispered looking over the thing. Seeing that it even had a scope, he'd be keeping this with him. Bullets and gunfire rained down from above diving behind some rocks, looking through the scope and got his target, and nothing happened when he pulled the trigger.

Looking over the weapon, noticing a crank on the left side of the weapon, pulling back he thought he heard a round chamber. Taking aim again he lined up his shot hastily and saw the soldiers head explode like a balloon. He'd be horrified if it hadn't looked so comical, a laugh at the shock of the power of this weapon escaped him. He was glad that this simulation got rid of the bodies, or he'd feel repulsed at himself for laughing.

Switching to the assault rifle, the only other way to go was up. Following the path, he heard even more Chinese soldiers coming from above. Taking cover against the walls. He wondered if the real anchorage was as dangerous as this? At least back in the Capital Wasteland he didn't get into battles nearly so often. It made him dread if Eulogy or any of the raiders, or even the mutants managed to organize themselves like the Chinese did.

The fight lasted less than a minute, and for once he came out untouched. Three Chinese soldiers tried to stop him and had been digitized. He briefly thought of going back to the ammo dispenser but decided against it. He needed to get through this thing as quickly as possible. Finding a building within the caverns, a metal grate fell in front of him and a Chinese soldier limp body tumbled out and disappeared in midair, as Sargent Benjamin landed in front of him.

"Damn reds are crawling all over the place X." The sergeant said holding a Chinese rifle of his own. "They're alert to our presence, stealth too much to ask?"

"There's way too many to just sneak by." Pegasus said. Figuring he'd best act as normal as he could when interacting with the simulation.

"I hear ya. Command said possibly a few platoons not a whole freaking battalion stationed in the mountains! The mission still stands though. We need to blow up those cannons and let the rest of our troops come through."

"I haven't forgotten. Sir." Pegasus added hastily.

"Enough with the sir nonsense. Call me Benji."

"Alright Benji. Can you tell me what the hell this is?" Pegasus said holding the strange rifle.

"That there is a gauss rifle, experimental recoilless coil gun that was supposed to be in the hands of Private Johnson. Take it the privates dead?"

"He died on the way in." Pegasus said vaguely. A coil gun, he didn't think these things actually existed. The highest technological weaponry in the Commonwealth army were robots, laser weaponry, and portable nukes. He didn't think they'd bother with magnetic weaponry as well.

"Careful with that thing. We only got a set amount of ammo with it." Benji said.

"What kind of ammo does it use." Pegasus asked.

"Did you even read the dossier? 15mm titanium hollow point rounds powered by a microfusion cell. Five shots per cell."

"No wonder they exploded." A round from this thing could probably take out a super mutant. Better keep that knowledge to himself, he didn't need to glitch out the system.

"Well X we're going to get through this together now. So say close and keep alive." Benji said tossing him a magazine. "The red bastards have set up shop in one of our former military bases. We're going to have to make our way past it to get to the cannons. And since stealth is out we're going in guns-blazing!"

Benji took point ad Pegasus stepped behind. Going back out into the cold air, the Chinese seemed to have been waiting for them and they fought their way over the rocks and catwalks towards the red flag of China blowing in the winds.

As they fought. Pegasus noticed the Benji was getting hit quite often, yet instead of bleeding out or keeling over, he continued on as though he'd never been hit. A glitch in the system or another cheat from Olin? it didn't matter to him, having an immortal point man was useful, Pegasus tried his best to stay behind Benji.

The outside forces fell quickly, using Benji as a shield and distraction, it wasn't hard for Pegasus to flank them and get the drop on them. Looking over the deserted battlefield. Pegasus wondered just what this would really look like in reality. The blood stained snow and Chinese bodies covering the landscape. Feeling a sharp pain in his leg, he realized tat he'd been hit. In his adrenaline he hadn't even noticed, and not a heath dispenser in sight.

"come on X. No need to admire our handiwork." Benji joked. Did the simulation know it was simulation?

"Quite asking pointless questions and just finish this." Pegasus said aloud.

"What?"

"Nothing. Just talking to myself."

"Hey every soldier has questions about what they do X, just don't let that stuff eat you up you hear?"

"That means a lot thanks." _Seeing how you're just a simulation, my only question is how do I turn you off?_

The artillery depository turned out to be an ambush. The moment they walked in, Chinese soldiers appeared from behind cover and opened fire. Even more appeared on the catwalks and shot from above. Sticking close to Benji, they managed to fight hem off, but Pegasus had gotten hit again, this time in the shoulder and in stomach. Bleeding out pretty badly. He saw the red glow of a health dispenser on the second floor and headed straight for it.

Not paying attention, he heard the beeps far too late. Glancing quickly down to see a landmine on the stairs, just out of sight for anyone not looking for it to set it off. everything became a blur and Pegasus found himself laying on the concrete floor looking back at the stairs. He didn't think it was so bad, he didn't even feel any pain. He coughed up blood and thought that was odd, raising his hands to wipe it away. He found his hand missing several fingers. Trying to stand up, his body collapsed, seeing that his left leg was missing.

 _That would explain it_. He thought. He was going into shock, he'd bleed out in less than a minute, clawing his way to the health dispenser. Any thought of death was replaced by the sight of the red tank mere feet from him. He managed to touch it before everything went dark.

Gasping for breath, trashing on the ground. He pulled himself against the wall. Looking at both of his legs intact, and all five fingers in front of his face. The shock faded, replaced with panic of fact that he'd almost died again.

Shaking badly, he thought that if he'd died here, he'd died in reality. And it wouldn't have been anything meaningful in his death. No saving his dad or Amata from death, no heroic stand against raiders or mutants. He'd died trying to open a door. If these was real, even if he somehow managed to survive, he'd been a cripple. A deformed freak as the cost of not paying attention to what was in front of him.

"You alright their X?" Benji asked.

"No 'm not alright! That's the third time I've nearly died in the past hour!" As far as he knew. "Who the fuck sets up a lock that can't be opened until a damn training simulation is completed!?"

"Calm down soldier! This is not the time to be losing your shit!" Benji snapped. "You took an oath, and that oath came the danger of dying. This is war, and people die in wars. Make sure you're not one of them!"

Pegasus breathed slowly trying to calm himself. He'd thought himself a pretty good survivor out in the Wasteland, figuring he knew enough to survive. He thought that would be enough for this war simulation, but if it hadn't been for these little cheats, he'd been dead in the first five minutes of entering. If this was war, then he wasn't cut out for it.

Forcing himself to his feet. Even if he wasn't cut out for a soldiers' life or the price of war. He still needed to get through this in one piece. And thanks to Olin's little cheats he just may.

"You got your shit together solider?" Benji asked.

"No, but we need to get this done." Pegasus answered.

"Good mindset lets go."

Working their way through the storage areas. Benji pointed out something in the caverns below. It looked to be some sort of armored vehicle. Using the scope on the gauss rifle, seeing that it was some sort of tank, with screws instead of treads and mismatched pieces of equipment. Pegasus guessed that the Chinese had just thrown weapons on vehicles they found here.

"Chinese Chimera tanks. They're really digging in their heels now." Benji said.

Whatever they were as long as they stayed down there, or they fought him next to a health dispenser Pegasus didn't really care what they were doing. They ran into some more Chinese resistance on the way. The soldiers seemed to be endless. He wondered if the Chinese had actually stationed this many people in the mountains?

The entire base suddenly started to shake.

"The bastards are shooting at our ships!" Benji cried. "We need to hurry and take out those guns!"

What the hell were the Chinese shooting that would make an entire mountain shake? Entering a large storage room, Pegasus got his answer. Artillery shells larger than a super mutant were stored here. Not just a few, hundreds of them. If anyone had this much artillery in the Wasteland, they'd be able to take over everything. This was just the tip in firepower that any of the nations had before the Great War. The realization of how much was thrown away in conflict awed him.

"Command wasn't kidding when they said the Chinese set up shop here." Benji said looking over the artillery. "Looks like they might actually try and take over Little America as well."

"Little America?"

"Canada. What, don't tell me you're sympathetic to those chucks now are you X?"

"No, just I still call it Canada." Pegasus said. Remembering that the annexation of Canada happened because of the increasing difficulty dealing with the Chinese during the invasion. Anchorage had happened after the annex. So far the history in the simulation seemed to be accurate.

They managed to go up a stairway. Not a Chinese soldier in sight. Something was amiss, they'd encountered difficulty throughout the mountain and the base. Why would there not be any patrols guarding the artillery?

"I don't like this." Benji said. "it's far too quiet."

Pegasus was about to say something when he saw the hall lights distort for only a second in the hall in front of him. not wanting to take any chances, he opened fired with the N99. Several shots hit something, a figure wearing black armor with an orange faceplate flickered in front of him.

"Crimson Dragoons!" Benji shouted firing his rifle killing the dragoon. "They're never alone! look out!"

Pegasus turned to see the distorted air next to him. The Dragoon knocked his pistol sway and a sword seemed to materialize out of the air. Dodging the blade, taking out he trench knife he managed to parry. Knife work was never part of Pegasus training, he'd rather have a truncheon over a blade, the Dragoon was much better with a blade weapon, in only few passes Pegasus knew he wouldn't win.

Throwing the knife, the dragoon swatted it away. Enough time for Pegasus to pick up his gun and shoot where the head should've been. His guess was right, the dragoons' stealth cloak faded, the orange faceplate with a bullet hole in it, the Dragoon digitized away.

Seeing Benji wrestling control of his rifle with another blur. Pegasus shot, reloaded, and shot again at the Dragoon until it materialized and digitized.

"Damn good fighting their X." Benji congratulated him. "Crimson Dragoons are said to be trained from birth to be the ultimate assassins. That you just took out three of them is proof that the American way is still better!"

"Let's hurry and get this over with." Pegasus said ignoring Benji.

They stepped outside to a deafening roar. From the door he could see the length of the cannons sticking out of the mountain walls. From only reading about them, Pegasus never understood the awe and fear such weapons could inspire until so close to them.

Benji said something but it was impossible to make out over the cannons. Indicating to go left, several Chinese soldiers where already there and opened fire. One was carrying a flamethrower, the flames covered the narrow walkway blocking them from going forward.

Taking out the gauss rifle, Pegasus aimed for the flamer, who was standing in the middle of all the Chinese soldier. The shot went through him and hit the tank. Causing an explosion that caught the rest of the Chinese soldiers in the burning fuel. Their screams could be heard over the sounds of the firing cannons as they ran to try and put out the flames, and Pegasus was slightly glad when they digitalized away.

They fought their way to the cannons, it fired shaking the very ground. Benji took some explosives out from nowhere and placed them upon the cannon and ran. Not questions why, Pegasus followed. Twenty seconds later an explosion much louder than the cannons went off, and the cannons barrel went tumbling down the mountain side.

Some explosives." Pegasus said aloud though he couldn't hear his own voice.

Benji flinched and shouted, a Crimson Dragoon dematerialized over the rocks aiming a sniper rifle. Returning fire, the Dragoon was blasted off is feet cartwheeling backwards in the air.

"Did this thing really have that much power?" Pegasus wondered about the gauss rifle. Something like this should've been a huge game changer in the war, yet he'd never read anything like it in the books. All they ever mentioned were the new t-51b power armor. If the rifle was this powerful, that armor would have been useless.

Benji rushed in between the two remaining cannons. The Chinese fired everything they had into him, even setting him on fire and blowing him of his feet with a rocket launcher. Yet he still kept getting up. With Benjis' immortality, they wiped out the rest of the defenders and set off the explosions. In the distant sea, American ships suddenly materialized.

"we did it X! mission accomplished!' Benji said patting him on the back. "Now Report to General Chase for further orders."

"what do you mean? We're not done yet?" Pegasus asked dreading the answer.

"we're not done till we take back our pipeline!" Benji said.

Pegasus tried to reply when everything suddenly faded white.


	15. Chapter 15 Operation Anchorage(TM)

The white faded, and Pegasus found himself standing in what looked to be a command tent. Breathing a sigh of relief and frustration, he was somewhat glad he hadn't had to get down the mountain manually.

"Good work with those guns' soldier!" A middle aged man wearing a white army long coat with more awards and service ribbons then Pegasus could make out.

"General Chase I assume?" Pegasus said looking at the ribbons. General Chase must've been the most decorated general in the entirety of the Resource Wars with that many medals. Strange, he also seemed a lot taller than the historical made him appear? "There's got to be a faster way to end this simulation."

"Simulation? X you're looking to have a size ten combat boot shoved up your candy ass! Now shut up a get ready for your next mission!"

"Already? When do I get a break?"

"Break when you're dead or back home soldier!" General Chase shouted. "Now stop your yapping and meet me at tactical."

Standing over an electronic map showing the entire battle of Anchorage. "I've got good news for you X. You've been promoted. Colonel Patterson was killed in the bombardment and now you'll be leading his strike team."

"Colonel Patterson is dead?" Pegasus asked. That didn't seem right to him, it may have been years since reading about Anchorage, but he was sure that he'd read that Colonel Patterson had gotten his promotion and a medal of commendation for his actions. The same ribbon that was on the Generals coat.

"We lost a damn fine man." Chase said lighting a cigar. "So I need you in charge of the mission."

That made no sense at all. Back in the beginning, he was told by Benji that he was just a rookie on his first mission, now suddenly he was getting promoted to acting Colonel?

"You have three targets." The General started explaining his mission, and he decided to not question it any further. The faster he got this done the better. "You'll need to take out the fuel tanks at the chimera depot and deprive them of their armored cavalry." The general said highlighting a point on the map. "Careful, they've set up a camp that you're going to have to fight your way through. Next, you need to take over their listening post here, that way we can hear what the hell the reds are planning. Finally, theirs their damn pulse field. We need hat taken out so we can clear the way with the t-51b's."

"Does the pulse field cover the other two targets?" Pegasus asked.

"Negative. The Chinese have put the majority of their defenses at the refinery. And unless you have some sort of death wish. I wouldn't even go near that place until out take out the first two targets."

"Okay." This mission was looking stranger as he learned more about it. "How many people am taking?"

"Talk to Lieutenant Morgan for your logistics." Chase said indicating to the young officer siting at a computer. "He'll supply you with members and tactical intelligence for your mission. Uncle Sam has spent a lot of money turning you into a weapon, and its time you start paying him back. Dismissed!"

The General took another puff of his cigar and wandered over to a desk. Pegasus tried to get his attention again, but no such luck. The simulation wouldn't let him talk to the general again.

"So you're in charge of Patterson's suicide squad now huh?" Morgan said pushing up his glasses, smiling at his dark joke.

"Why do you call it that?" Pegasus asked.

"Joking helps me get through the cold."

"I think a hat would help a lot more."

Morgan laughed. Pegasus was surprised at the level of detail the personalities had in this simulation.

"You have five points to spend on your strike team." Morgan said suddenly serious, the joke forgotten. "The infantryman and grenadier are one point. The rocketeer, sniper, and Gutsy are two. A sentry bot is four."

"What?" A point system for a strike team? The hell was the point of that? Wouldn't it be better to take one of each?

"If you lose members of your team, use Sergeant Montgomery to contact HQ for reinforcements."

"What?" If Benji was also coming with him, then why wasn't he in charge of the team? In fact, if they were limited to three or seven per strike team, why not have Benji lead one and himself lead another?

"Who are you spending your points on?" Morgan asked mechanically. Guess the personalities of the simulation had limits after all.

"A grenadier, sniper, and Gutsy." Pegasus said not wanting to argue with the computer any longer. He wondered if this point system was part of the training program or was another one of Olin's hacks to assist him?

Stepping outside in the frigid air, Benji greeted him smiling warmly as through the cold air didn't affect his exposed head. Behind him, several shapes of static formed into the soldiers he selected.

"Private Journey Ready for action sir!" The grenadier in a woman's sharp tone said, snapping a salute.

"Names Charlie, don't confuse me with 'Charlie'." The tall sniper gruffly said saluting.

" _MR. GUTSY MODEL RL-2 READY TO KICK SOME COMMIE ASS! OORAH!_ " The Gutsy said putting its buzz saw arm in something resembling a salute.

"Well look at you getting promoted." Benji said greeting him. "After this you'll be leading this army I bet."

"Hope I'm not here that long." He certainly hoped simulation wouldn't be that long.

"Know how you feel. Want to get back home where it's warm too." Benji said. "Good news." Taking out the Gauss Rifle from seemingly nowhere and handing it to him. "And better news, you've been approved to wear a t-51d for your missions."

Benji led the way towards a large tent where people wearing winterized jumpsuits where working on power armor. Dozens of t-51b's and t-51ds where hanging in storage, while other soldiers were being fitted by the maintenance teams. Looking at all the armor and the weapons that all the soldiers where carrying. He thought again to the Capital Wasteland. With the power in this one camp alone, there seemed to be enough to take out all the raiders and super mutants roaming the Wastes. And all this was used just to take back an oil refinery that not even a year later was likely destroyed in nuclear flame.

Alright let's suit you up. General Chase has the right idea in letting you lead the strike team." A worker said. "With Constantine Chase leading the army, it's only a matter of time before Beijing becomes another property of the USA!"

Stepping into a metal cubicle, his combat armored suddenly materialized into the under armor of a t-51d. Several workers swarmed him. Putting on pieces and checking systems to make sure that everything was clear. Though he wondered if the program took away his combat armor, why not just put him in the powered one? Still with all the work the maintenance crew were doing on him, it made him wonder just how the Outcasts managed to put on all their armor themselves?

"You're all set. Step on out."

Moving in the power armor felt extremely strange. He could feel the weight of the thing, but at the same time it didn't seem to affect him in the slightest. Putting on the helmet, all sound was drowned out for a second before coming back with a strange electronic hum behind everything.

"Feel like a sardine?' Benji joked. His voice coming in from both sides of the helmet.

"Left." A technician said snapping their fingers. Turning to see, the sound seemingly only coming from the left side. "Right." The same to his right. "Everything's green. As expected from West Tek, their technologies never fail, remember that back home. Now go kick ass soldier."

"I'm going to need more then this rifle to fight." Pegasus heard his voice mechanically changed by the helmet.

"We'll stop by the quartermaster. Get you something to complement your rifle."

The quartermaster gave him a choice of several weapons selections. Considering his choice of a strike team, he took the heavy weapons choice. Loaded with a 10mm SMG and a missile launcher, he thought he'd be weighed down by the weapon. Yet the t-51d was doing a remarkable job, the missile launcher felt no heavier than an empty backpack.

"Now to pick up your ration of Psycho now." Benji said leaving the tent.

Pegasus was still trying to figure out what the hell that meant until he saw where Benji was heading.

"A medicine called Psycho?" Pegasus stated looking at the red cross of the medical tent.

The wounded were many, and in the corner Pegasus could see white body bags piled up. The dead American soldiers, confused why they weren't digitized away like the rest of the dead bodies he'd seen.

"Ah General Chase's newest golden boy." The doctor said looking up from a wounded soldier. "Take it you're here for the Psycho. Made from the General own company: Chase R&D. It'll work wonders in any hostile environment."

Pegasus was glad he had the helmet on. his face contorted into shock and confusion. Why was the doctor, looking up from a wounded soldier, pitching a drug at him? If his dad met anyone trying to do that, he'd slap them for putting the patient's life on hold and do the doctoring himself. The doctor handed him a large three prong syringe.

"Here you are. Don't forget where you got it, when you get back at home defending your country from rioters and traitors. Remember where you got your inner psycho from: Chase R&D."

"Any side effects?" Pegasus guessed that was a dumb question for a drug called psycho.

"None at all, except make you a better soldier and kick ass!" The doctor said cheerfully. Something that he didn't think he'd ever hear from any doctor in the world.

The Doctor mechanically went over to a table and sat down a recorder before going back to the patient. The recorder glowed red like the items he could pick up.

 _Physician's Log, Doctor Adrienn Adami, United States Army, Anchorage, Alaska forward base.  
Considering what's at stake, General Chase and I both feel the chem codenamed "Psycho" can be of significant use during this operation.  
I've read the early clinical trials, and there are certainly some possible side effects - dementia, psychotic aggression. And of course addiction.  
But the adverse effects seem limited. Okay, I do realize the chem was developed by Chase's R&D division, but if the thing works it works.  
Can we really afford to be picky at this point? Some of these groundpounders have family in Anchorage. I'll give them any boost I damn well can.  
I just hope my Hippocratic Oath is still speaking to me when this whole mess is over with... _

What the hell was going on? Everything about operation Anchorage wasn't making any sense. The strange missions, the recording conflicting with what the doctor said. If this was how the actual operation went in reality over a century ago, he was surprised that the Commonwealth had won.

Benji took point on the road to the Chinese depot. Along the way, they could see the refinery in the distance. trenches dug in for miles, the American army trying to dig its way to the enemy stronghold. Around the trenches, explosion form Chinese artillery flung up dirt and snow with the occasional scream being heard as the artillery got a soldier. The air around the trenches seemed to pulse with an electric current, his own suit seemed to be jamming as they got closer.

"Not that way yet X. We got to pave the way for our troops first." Benji said.

Let's take down those Commie bastards!" Journey said.

" _CHAIRMAN MENG WILL NEVER SUCCEED IN DESTROYING AMERICA_!" RL-2 chimed in. " _DEMOCRACY IS NOT NEGOTIABLE!_ "

The helmet unfortunately amplified his quiet giggle at Rl-2's oxymoron. Luckily the programming didn't seem to mind.

" _SIR HOSTILES DETECTED: 120 YARDS NORTH AND NORTH WEST_!" RL-3 stated.

"It's the Chinese ice camp." Benji said.

"Charlie can you take them?" Pegasus asked.

"Already done boss." Charlie said taking aim. Pegasus glance to see just who it was RL-2 had seen when Charlie fired two shots. A second later he saw in the distance the familiar sight of the digitized bodies.

"They know we're here now! Let's kill the commie bastards!" Benji ran guns blazing towards the camp.

There were a lot more soldiers at the camp then Pegasus expected. Many came pouring out of the tents firing their guns and with attack dogs. RL-2 managed to fire on the dogs taking them out, Journey tossed several grenades into the tents, the explosions somehow didn't damage the tents but the yelping of dogs meant that the grenades weren't wasted. Firing the submachine gun with one hand, it felt as though there was no recoil at all. This power armor was something truly marvelous.

" _THAT'S HOW ROBCO DEALS WITH ENEMIES OF THE USA_!" RL-2 said.

"No time to celebrate let's get going." Pegasus said wondering why RL-2 would say his company? Passing through a tent, he was relieved to see the health tank and an ammo dispenser sitting on a bench "Anyone need to heal, do so now."

"What are you talking about sir, we're nowhere near medical?" Benji said.

" _SIR, DO YOU NEED PSYCHOLOGICAL EVALUATION?_ " RL-2 said.

No. Just is anyone hurt, need triage?" Pegasus said trying to excuse his mistake. He guessed that only he could see the things.

Through the tent was a vast expanse of snow and ice between the valley walls. Not a soldier in sight, the perfect place for either an ambush or landmines.

"RL-2, your scanners picking up anything?"

" _SIR MINES AHEAD. I'M DETECTING THAT SOME OF THEM ARE MECHANICAL IN NATURE!_ " Rl-2 answered.

Okay. So how do we get passed them?" Pegasus asked.

"Very carefully." Journey said walking slowly into the snow until RL-2 shouted a warning. Brushing the snow away, Pegasus could see from the orange light that it was the same type of mine that had nearly killed him, the same type that was on the bridge stopping him from the GNR station. Watching carefully, Journey slowly knelt down to the mine, tensing up when the beeping started. Journey quickly hit it in the center, the beeping stopped and the light on top of it went dark.

Releasing a breath that he didn't realize he was holding. He wondered was It really that simple to disarm mines? Well even if it was that simple, one little mistake would cost him his life.

"Journey let me try." He needed to practice.

" _MECHANICAL UNIT DETECTED! SPIDER MINE!_ " Rl-2 shouted. Too late, what looked to be mine with legs latched onto Journey. The explosion splattered her blood and bits in a gruesome image that luckily quickly flickered and digitized away.

"Benji, can we call reinforcements?" Pegasus asked looking at the pristine snow where Journey had blown up.

"Sir you have one point remaining. A grenadier or rifleman?" Benji asked mechanically.

"Grenadier." Their grenades could set off the mines, the last thing he wanted was to be blown up again, or see anyone else blown up for that matter. The air in front of him became distorted, and in white static, an American soldier materialized in from of him.

"Private Journey reporting!"

"Rl-2 scan for more mines." Pegasus said not wanting to question the limits of the simulation.

" _SCANNING! REMEMBER ROBCO ROBOTS ARE NOT MEANT JUST FOR MILITARY PURPOSES, WE CAN ALSO SCAN FOR THINGS IN YOUR LIVING ROOM AS WELL! REMEMBER THAT WHEN YOUR BACK HOME ENJOYING THE RICHES THE USA PLUNDERED FROM THE DAMN COMMIES!_ "

Moving slowly through the snow and ice, disabling mines and shooting at the spider ones. They seemed to know when they were detected, because every time Rl-2 announced them. They sprung up and rushed the strike team. Luckily that just made them easier to shoot. After what felt like hours, they finally saw towers and signs of people.

Unfortunately, all the people there were Chinese soldiers. Fighting their way through them, Pegasus was amazed that this time he didn't get shot. With the extra help it seemed that they were pushing their way through with ease. Finally, after the gunshots died down and he had a chance to look at himself. did he realize that he'd been shot numerous times, only the power armor stopped the bullets. He could see why the t-51s where considered the 'edge' the US military had over the Chinese.

"There's the first target." Benji said. Like with the cannons he seemingly took explosives out of nowhere. Placing them on the tank, they ran as far as they could in twenty seconds. Even with the power armor on and the distance between them and the following explosion, still knocked Pegasus to a knee.

Feeling the ground rumble. looking up in time to see a blue-white laser hit him in the chest. The chimera tank looked far more imposing up close then at the safe, elevated distance. It propelled itself with screws and headed straight for him, rapidly firing its laser.

Zigzagging, finding no cover. Pegasus took down his missile launcher, aiming for the screws. Several more lasers hit him, the armor was doing a fantastic job but was getting very hot. Firing both rockets, the explosions stopped the chimera in its tracks.

Thinking it was over, he turned to see his strike team getting up from the fuel tank explosion. A laser hit him in the side, this time he felt his skin burn from the contact. Using the gauss rifle he fired at the chimeras' turret. The Chimera sparked and suddenly exploded into pieces that quickly digitized.

"I don't think this thing is that strong." Pegasus said looking at the gauss rifle.

"Good work with that chimera X. You did good picking the missile launcher. Made by the same arms company that supplies all our boys in uniform: Stent Security Solutions."

Pegasus looked awkwardly at Benji, he was starting to seriously doubt the historical accuracy of this training simulation. He didn't think that Benji would be nothing more than an action cliché corporate mouthpiece. Then again when he thought about it, it seemed like everyone in the camp was telling him about some sort of corporation and how great they were supplying the commonwealth of America.

Not so great now seeing that they were destroyed along with the world. Still the fact that they were altering history in a military training program in order to sell their products sent a chill down his spine. He'd dealt with something like this back in the vault with the overseer, remembering the final question on his G.O.A.T exam:

 _Who is indisputably the most important person in Vault 101: He who shelters us from the harshness of the atomic wasteland, and to whom we owe everything we have, including our lives?_

It seemed as though the corporations were doing the same, promoting themselves as the most important while conveniently leaving out all the smaller parts that made sure everything ran smoothly. That mindset had always set him at odds with the Overseer.

Finding the second fuel tank, this time he made sure to be as far as possible in twenty seconds. He still felt the ground shake at the explosion though. Everything suddenly became blurry and the familiar fading to white around his eyes. He wondered where he was about to be taken to this time.

Everything came back to the command tent just like the first time. Though General Chases didn't greet him. instead he just stood their smoking his cigar.

"Great work with the Chimera depot their X!" Morgan said from his terminal. "One more target and you can take out that Pulse field."

"Any corporate sponsors you want to tell me about before I do that?" Pegasus asked.

"What requisition holo would you like this time X?" Morgan asked ignoring the remark.

"Close Quarters."

Heading back to the quartermaster he saw three soldiers strike a heroic pose for a man in a business suit ill-suited for the freezing cold wearing a reporters' badge.

"The Post is going to make you kids heroes, might just turn this image into a statue someday." The reporter said taking a photograph. "Now got to get the interview with the heroic and military genius Constantine Chase."

Pegasus wondered just how much artistic license the General had taken with his accounts to the Operation. Benji and his strike team where waiting for him, getting the shotgun and pistol, he was surprised to find that the requisition also came with a power fist, grenades and mines. That was good, he planned on finding a health depot and practice disarming the mines right next to it.

They made their way towards the mining town, surprisingly they weren't the only American soldiers here. Several were hiding behind boxcar trains, one peeked from the side and his head exploded in red mist.

"Sniper Fire!" Benji shouted.

"I got him." Charlie said firing. "Crimson Dragoon, there's probably a lot more of them, be cautious."

The other American soldiers rushed passed the trains into the abandon town only to be blown up by a rocket. Pegasus had time to see the Chinese soldier point the rocket launcher at him before the explosion knocked him off his feet. He felt pain in his leg and knew it was broken. The t-51d could only do so much against artillery. Seeing several green flashes of lights and Rl-2 hovering towards him.

" _SIR YOU ARE IN NEED OF MEDICAL ATTENTION!"_ RL-2 said. " _THE COMMIE BASTARD WOUNDED YOU BEFORE DYING FOR HIS COUNTRY!"_

"Thanks for that." Pegasus grumbled standing up. The armor's leg pistons managed to take most of the weight off his legs. It would be painful, but hopefully he'd find a health dispenser close by.

 _"THAT'S RIGHT YOUR COMMIE BASTARDS. NOT EVEN A ROCKET LAUNCHER IS PUTTING DOWN ONE OF OUR BOYS IN UNIFORM OORAH!"_ RL-2 said.

Pegasus wondered if all Mr. Gutsy's were so patriotically annoying. Limping to where the Chinese artillery man had been, several dogs came from the destroyed building and tried to attack him. Swiping one with the power fist and its head exploded on contact. Seeing the glowing red of the health dispenser, ignoring the others to let his strike team take them out.

"Keep an eye out for trouble." Pegasus said stretching his newly healed legs. Taking out the mines, he began setting them up and disarming them. It was turning out easier done then said. Then again, he was being quite hasty then he really would be in the real world. The health dispenser was making him reckless and he knew it. After what only felt like a few minutes. He was sure that he could get pass the bridge to the GNR station.

His strike team had waited patiently for him to finish up with his training. "let's go."

Fighting their way through the abandon town, the entire training simulation was starting to feel less like war and more like an action movie. The Chinese soldiers weren't even trying to take cover any more. They kept staying in the open and allowing themselves to be shot, and Benji or RL-2 would say something patriotic. Though the other thought in his head was that the armor was making the entire thing merely seem easy.

Making it through a gauntlet of Dragoon snipers and a squadron of soldiers, at the entrance to the listening post, it suddenly started to get very hard to move. Pegasus started to feel the weight of the armor, it was taking nearly everything he had just to put one foot in front of the other.

"Benji something's wrong." Pegasus said, even the voice amplifier seemed to be dying.

"Bad move their soldier, you didn't get a new energy cell from the tech guys. The T-51d only has a battery life of around five hours." Benji explained.

No way it had already been five hours. the sun hadn't even changed position. He checked himself, of course it hadn't changed. The simulation hadn't called for it. He didn't even know how long in reality he'd actually been in the pod. In doing so he'd spaced the one serious flaw that forced the army to adopt the t-51b's instead: the energy consumption rate.

Stripping the t-51d's outer armor, the inner armor was meant to hold the main pieces but could do for armor in a desperate situation. He at least remembered that much from the tech manuals he'd read from Stanley's personal collection.

"let's hurry up and finish this." Pegasus said readying his shotgun.

They rushed in firing taking out as many Chinese soldiers as they could before they had a chance to raise their weapons. Working their way through the listening post to the top where the main terminals were. The technicians had already surrendered. On their knees with their hands raised.

"Guess we can take them back as prisoners to HQ?" Pegasus said. Though he wondered just how the simulation was going to handle that.

Benji answered him but putting his pistol to the temple of one of the technicians and pulling the trigger. "The only good commie's a dead commie. Execute these reds X."

"What?" Pegasus looked at the Chinese technicians and saw the fear in their faces. The fear looked all too real for the simulation and he felt himself hesitate. These people had surrendered, there was no reason to kill them. A cold rational voice in the back of his head reminded him that he'd left a raider to bleed to death back in the school when she surrendered. His conscious countered the voice by reminding himself that she had made the choice to raid and kill other people trying to live their lives. Where these technicians the same? Were both the raider and the Chinese just doing what they needed to do to survive? Wasn't this technician just doing his job? Did Benji's and his job entail killing a surrendering enemy just because they were soldiers?

"X what's wrong" Benji asked. "There inhuman scum, nothing more than Commies raised to believe whatever they're told. Hell, it probably doesn't even understand why it's here in the first place no different than a dog."

"Why though?" Pegasus couldn't just shoot the man. If he'd pointed a gun at him, or tried to kill someone close to him that was one thing. But murdering, could he really do that? The cold voice got louder in his head, reminding him of the cannibals that he'd gunned down in cold blood.

"They killed Mojo." He said aloud. Arguing with himself on the rational of shooting a surrendering hostile. Would he have been as merciful to a healthy raider? One that he hadn't had shot before they surrendered? Coldly analyzing his choices instead of being in the heat of the moment made him queasy with his actions.

 _You shot Moriarty for less_. But Moriarty was scum and he knew it, the raiders were worse and he'd protected his home 101. The cannibals had killed Mojo and who knew how many more. He'd known their crimes and that had made it so much easier to pull the trigger. What had this technician done that Morgan back in the command tent hadn't done?

This is a war. People die in wars. That was the most convenient rational that he had in mind. How many Chinese did he kill just getting to this point? They were trying to kill him however. That was the difference between those and this. Something as little has that made all the difference in the world.

"What's wrong X, don't tell me you're going pink on me?" Benji said.

"What?"

"Commie sympathizer, not fully red but close enough. Or you like those Canadians that didn't like becoming little America? You know as soon as we're done here you're going to have to pacify those rioting traitors in both big and little America."

"I'm not an executioner." Pegasus said defiantly. He couldn't just kill this man, simulation or no. He needed a reason, if the technician tried to kill them than that would be all the reason needed.

Benji didn't need a reason. Going down the line firing a round to the back of the head each. "You know that can fall under insubordination? You can get court-martialed or even executed for treason for that."

"Technically I'm in charge of the strike team, so you just did commit insubordination. Because I said they were prisoners of war!"

"We don't take reds as prisoners, or traitors for that matter."

Pegasus tensed up, he felt that his strike team was ready to fight him because of his act of mercy.

"The way I look at it is that the Chinese are dead and the listening post is nearly ours." Charlie said stepping between them. "I'll put it in my report that the Chinese were killed in a firefight, I suggest you all do the same."

"Agreed." Journey said.

" _My memory banks indicate that this Commies were killed in a hostile environment!_ " RL-2 chimed in.

Benji looked at the strike team and lingered on Pegasus. "Alright, as long as you finish the mission and don't turn any redder then you already are pinko."

"Then why are we wasting time?" Pegasus said pushing passed Benji.

The Chinese put up a valiant final fight, fighting their way to where the Chinese had a bunker for a last stand the strike team finished off everyone there. Not one soldier surrendered this time, Benji didn't give anyone the chance. Finally, after the final soldier digitized away, the relieving white took to the corners of his eyes and his strike team disappeared.

"Good Job with those targets X!" Morgan greeted him. "Now all that's left is the pulse field. Good thing you ditched the t-51d. No way was that thing going to work in the trenches."

"Morgan. Why are we here?" Pegasus asked.

"Hey don't start doubting yourself so close to victory X. Besides you know why we're here. The Chinese think that they can just take our oil away from us and get away with it?!"

"Didn't we do the same to the Canadians when we annexed them?" Pegasus asked. The annexation of Canada had to have been one of the most controversial moves of the Commonwealth during the Resource Wars. It didn't effect Pegasus back when he read about it, figuring that it had happened centuries ago. But the simulation made it sound like the annexation and Canadian rebellion was still going on. He never knew the government that had sanctioned the vaults, or even the life of the Commonwealth of America in anything else other than an academic sense. This simulation was giving him a glance into the mindset of a nation two centuries dead and the glance made him uneasy.

"That's different." Morgan said. "Hey, every soldier has their doubts about what they do. But you just need to not think about what you're doing and simply do as you're told alright."

That wasn't comforting at all. The cold rational voice in his head was more comforting then this emotionless simulation. All that was left was the pulse field and then he was out of here. Never had he been more glad a task was almost done before.

Outside Benji was the first to greet him. Smiling and welcoming as though the underlying threat from the listening post was long forgotten. "It's just you and me now just like at the cannons."

"Joy." Pegasus said looking passed Benji, glad to see that his strike team hadn't dematerialized yet. "Hey. Can I see your face Charlie, if you have one at least?"

"Of course I have a face." Charlie said lifting up his winter mask. Showing a man with a pointed chin, short red hair and piercing blue eyes. "What made you think I didn't have one?"

"Nothing." Pegasus said smiling. He'd be sure to remember Charlies face. "Just wanted to look in the eyes of my team and say it was a pleasure."

Journey took of her own mask revealing her round face and doe brown eyes and short hair. She looked too innocent to be fighting in this war. "Come back to us alive X."

" _GODSPEED X!_ " RL-2 saluted.

Stopping by the quartermaster to take an assault rifle of his own. Benji and he headed to the main battlefield. The insides of the trenches rumbled with the exploding artillery and a thin haze of smoke and mist from the heated snow and dust filed the air around them. Teaming up with several other American soldiers, they fought though wave after wave of Chinese soldiers. The bullets and fire tore and burned tough soldiers on both sides of the trenches. The bodies vanishing in static haze leaving a false sterility where carnage should have been. Somehow they managed to make their way to the bunker controls for the pulse field. Three Crimson Dragoons guarded the final defense, but the pulse field distorted even their own stealth fields and just like all the others, the American soldiers managed to take them down.

"Take down the field X!" Benji said triumphantly.

With a simple flip of a switch, the final defenses of the Chinese were no more. Eerily silent for just a moment before sounds of aircraft filled the air. Several helicopters, or aircraft with duel rotors that Pegasus could only compare to helicopters landed, out poured dozens of soldiers all wearing T-51b's rushed the oil refinery on foot. On one of the aircrafts ramps stood General Chase, a lit cigar in his mouth and a cannon over his shoulders.

The entire thing looked so cliché that Pegasus couldn't help but laugh.

"What are you doing over their X?! Get your candy ass over here, suit up and take it back!"

Pegasus headed over to the general, finding him waiting with several technicians and a white t-51b. Putting this suit on was a lot easier than the t-51d, he didn't even need the technicians help for it. They ran a quick diagnostics check, something that he felt was complexly pointless.

"Go knock on their door X." Chase said handing him the cannon. "The Fat Man wants a word with commies in his home."

Pegasus recognized the weapon, the Fat Man was a portable nuclear device. Meant to be used with infantry. He never thought he'd ever get the chance to fire one. Even if it was just a simulation. At this point, he didn't even think one was used in Anchorage and whoever designed the simulation just wanted the person in it to fire the big gun.

The rest of the soldiers in the armor waited close to the door. Surprisingly the Chinese weren't firing on their positions they waited for Pegasus to fire the mini-nuke. Even with the extra help from the power armor, the Fat Man stilled kicked up. The explosion mushroomed cloud, and the inner Giger counter started to go off in his helmet. The soldiers however didn't mind the radiation at all and ran into the opening with a battle cry.

The final battle of Anchorage couldn't even be called that. With all the power armored soldiers it was more of a slaughter then a fight. In only a few minutes the Chinese were lined up against a wall and General chase came walking in, giving a wave. The Chinese soldiers were riddled with bullets. These bodies didn't disappear.

"Congratulations X you passed the training." General Chase said looking at him. "Your evaluation: Sloppy. I'm recommending that you go through basic training again, and with your sympathetic leanings towards the Chinese and vocal support to the Canadians, you're going to be spending some time in the reeducation camps to get rid of that soft spot you have."

"Good. I'm glad this piece of corporate propaganda is finally done." Pegasus spat. "Tell me something Chase, did Patterson actually die in the bombardment? Or did you just take the credit for what he did in the actual operation?"

"The Colonial had no business being in my operation!" General Chase snapped.

"So you did just steal the credit. Thought you had too many medals on your chest."

The general and the rest of the refinery began to fade white for what he hoped was the final time. Though he heard before everything faded out. "Congratulations soldier! you've just sealed your death warrant for insubordination!"


	16. Chapter 16 Relics of The Past

The sounds of decompression and the feeling of air escaping where his first impressions coming back to the real world. Everything appeared to be in a blur as his eyes readjusted to the dim read lights of the simulation room.

"Welcome back." Olin greeted him with genuine warmth. "Apparently I'm supposed to execute you for insubordination."

"You going to?" Pegasus asked. His entire body felt numb, as though he'd awakened from a very deep comfortable sleep. Stumbling out of the pod he fell to a knee. The feeling in his body was coming back and all of his muscles were aching.

"The neural interface suit also stimulates the muscles so you don't suffer from entropy." Olin explained. "I was getting worried about you. You were in there for three days."

"Three days!?" That was impossible, no way was he in there for that long. He hadn't even slept or felt fatigued during the entire simulation.

That would explain his being in there for so long. The sun or weather hadn't changed at all in the simulation, and he did run several miles just getting to places and not feeling tired. He'd simply lost track of time with no natural prohibitors to his body telling him to stop.

His stomach gave a grumble and he felt quite light headed. His body was starting to get back into the real world and now it wanted some real food. "Got anything to eat?"

"Well I'll be damned." McGraw said at the door. "Your vitals kept fluctuating, I thought for sure you were going to die in there. We even started making a betting pool to see when you were going to kick it. I won."

"Glad you had faith in me." Pegasus said getting to his feet. The aches were going away, doing a light vault workout to get the blood flowing back into his muscles, McGraw shook his head.

"Actually I didn't have a choice but to bet on you coming out alive. They said because I'm the one who brought you into this I was the one that had to back you. I don't mind though, just made myself about a dozen small energy cells."

"Glad I could bring you a profit." Stopping before he overstained himself. He needed to get something in his stomach before they headed back out.

"Where's Clover?" He asked. Three days without him was a frightful prospect, hoping that she didn't leave and go back to Eulogy.

"Right here." McGraw said pointing outside.

Clover was sleeping against the wall with her shotgun in hand. In the same spot where he'd last seen her before going into the pod.

"She didn't move an inch when you went in there." McGraw explained. "She didn't eat or leave to use the restroom. She just pissed where she stood while waiting for you. Pretty disgusting really."

"Clover?" Pegasus said gently shaking her. Her eyes shot open and the shotgun was under his chin in a flash.

"Lover?" Clover said skeptically. "You're back! You still angry with me daddy?"

"What? I was never angry at you. Listen, McGraw tells me you really need to go clean yourself up and change-"

"You both need to do that." Olin interrupted. "You locals smell worse than ghouls. Not going to get the stench out of that suit for weeks. Just glad you actually opened the blast doors."

"I did? That's great!"

"Yeah and lucky. Because whatever you did in there to warrant your execution, also made it impossible for you to sync back up with the simulation. Now let's go."

"A deal's a deal Pegasus. You get first pick." McGraw said patting him on the shoulder.

"I'm still coming in to catalog what you take though." Olin said.

Olin haughtily lead the way passed the other Outcasts, though instead of looking glad they glared at him with contempt. Sibley looked on the three of them with hatred as Olin opened the blast door. The Outcasts starting to slowly move in towards them.

"All of you back off!" McGraw shouted. "The local did his part, and now we have to uphold our end of the bargain."

"Shut up McGraw! We're done taking your orders." Sibley said.

The outcasts attention turned towards McGraw and the tension seemed to increase. Olin ignored and was the first to go in. Behind the doors turned out to be a well-stocked armory. Rows of R91 assault rifles, 10mm pistols, boxes of ammo, grenades, mines, most shockingly of all was the armor. A dozen winterized t-51b's were in stock, and dozens of winterized combat armor all looking like they'd just gotten off the assembly line. Looking through it all, Pegasus found a crimson Dragoon stealth suit and the very same gauss rifle that he'd used back in the simulation.

"At least this thing actually existed." he muttered. "Hey Olin, you're going to want to cross check the historical accuracy of that training simulation."

"I already know that training simulation took a piss right on history." Olin said examining the t-51b's. "Listening to some of the holo-tapes in the archives while waiting on you let me know that. General Chase ordered something called chimera tanks, which where pure fantasy. I also found in the records that West Tek did have a contract out to produce something of the sort, and Constantine Chase was to receive large stock options if West Tek managed to get the government contract."

"So he altered the training and history to make a profit?" Pegasus said checking a combat shotgun he'd found.

"Yep. Not that surprising. The records from the Great War shows that many military and political members of the Commonwealth government had profitable ties to large corporations."

Olin picked up a pulse grenade before setting it back down. "Would you hurry up and pick what you guys want. I want to get all this logged down!"

"Hey clover, you said you wanted a better gun right?" Pegasus said offering the gauss rifle. Hopefully the Outcasts didn't know just how powerful this thing was. If it truly was as powerful in the simulation.

Clover didn't say anything. She meekly nodded and seemed to be trying to avoid him altogether.

"You going to be taking one of these with you?" Olin asked taping a t-51b.

That was a very tempting offer. In a t-51d he'd felt invincible, and the b's did fix the power consumption flaw. But walking around in white power armor seemed like walking around with a giant target on his back. Besides, he had no way of taking care of it if he ever needed to do maintenance on the things. The winterized combat armor was luckily only painted white and didn't come with the thick cloth to keep out the cold. All the combat armor was in pristine condition like the power armor, and it would be easier to maintain on the road.

"Keep that thing on hold for me. I might come back to pick it up." Pegasus said stripping off the interface suit. "Right now I need to keep travelling light. Clover this looks like it would fit you."

She took the combat armor without a word. Stripping the ruined talon armor off, in the enhanced lights of the armory, her scars seemed to have multiplied. Cuts and deep burns across her entire chest down to her wrist, and when she took off the ruined pants several nasty scars ran down her legs. As though someone had used her to sharpen a knife.

Pegasus looked away in disgust. Seeing that McGraw and Sybil's arguments were starting to get a little heated, several of the Outcasts raised their guns up.

"Olin." Pegasus indicated the outcasts.

"Outcasts, stand down, You're boarding on treason!" Olin shouted.

"Treason Olin? You're the ones who committed treason!" One of them shouted back.

"You work with a local, and then you just offer them up the tech? Might as well repaint your armor and rejoin Lyon's little charity group." Sibley shouted turning towards them. "We're keeping true to the Codex! We haven't forgotten our mission! And we sure as hell aren't letting some filthy locals take anything out of that vault!"

"I'm just taking some ammo and a combat suit. Everything else you guys can keep!" Pegasus protested. What the hell was wrong with Sibley if he couldn't even allow him to take that much?

"You're not taking anything! We should've iced you when you got out of that program. Hell we should've just taken that damn interface off your wrist when you got off that lift! We are the true Brotherhood of Steel and nothing shall ever corrupt the Codex!"

McGrew grabbed Sibley from the back and used him as a shield. "I'm going to give you all one chance to put down your guns and stop this. Or your all going to be executed like Sibley here."

"You're outnumbered. You and Olin can't take us all on!" One of the outcasts said.

"Who's says I'm outnumbered?" The sounds of the lift descending gave weight to his words.

The Outcasts had enough. Two of them readied their weapons to ambush the lift, the others went to attack McGraw and Olin.

Pegasus fired the gauss rifle into an approaching outcast. The round punched right through the chest plate but didn't exit, knocking the outcast back several feet by the impact. The Outcast died in an instant, something that all the others seemed to have trouble accepting.

"Take out the locals!" One of the outcasts said firing their weapons at them.

Pegasus and the others took advantage of the blast door and cover they had in the armory and returned fire. The Outcasts stood in the open and clearly were relying on their power armor to take the brunt of the damage. Olin fired a laser pistol while Clover loaded and shot whatever she could, using the gauss rifle Pegasus took another Outcast down. The sounds of a minigun firing filled the halls as more people came into the fight, Morrill and his men joined the fight against the mutiny. Olin threw a pulse grenade into the mutineers, the grenade let out a blue pulse and the Outcasts power armor shorted out for a few seconds. Enough time for Pegasus to fire another shot, Clover fired several shots from a sniper rifle whose rounds managed to pierce the metal plates.

The battle lasted less than a minute, the air was filled with gun smoke, the smell of blood and the whimpering of the dying filed he halls. Morrill and his guards went to check the wounded.

"See the price of treason Sibley?" McGraw asked.

"Okay I was wrong. Take me back to Independence. Let me stand trial." Sibley pleaded.

"Like the trial you were going to give me?"

McGrew snapped Sibley neck before he had a chance to respond.

"Put that gun down local." Morrill said pointing his weapon at him. Pegasus refused pointing the gauss rifle back at him.

"Enough! Enough blood's been spilt over this mess." McGraw said putting forcing the minigun down. "I thank you two, if not for your help I think we surly would've died in that firefight."

"No problem." Pegasus said aiming the gun at McGraw now.

"Shoot him Lover! Outcasts can't ever be trusted to keep their word about anything! They always go back on anything they promise." Clover hissed.

"That's not true young miss." McGrew said calmly raising his hands. "Sybley's been planning this mutiny ever since you first got here. He suggested that we kill you and take your interface the moment you got off the lift. When I said no and brokered a deal with you, they figured I had broken the Codex and became as soft as Lyons."

"I don't know who Lyons is. And it's called a pip-boy!" said Pegasus. "And who the hell was the 'other' one Sibley mentioned before I got in that pod?"

"Gary." Olin said dropping her weapon when Clover turned her sights to her. "That's all he ever said. We tried to be nice that time as well but he got a little hostile and we put him down. He had a pip-boy as well like the one you're wearing. We couldn't get it off and when we tried cutting the arm away-"

"You destroyed the computer." Pegasus said. "So you killed another person for their stuff, you're starting to sound like nothing more than high tech raiders."

"If that was true we would've shot you in the back a long time ago, or been passing your friend around my men." McGrew said.

"Don't go judging us by the accidental killing of that idiot. If he hadn't tried to knife me with a scalpel he wouldn't have died." Olin said.

Morrill and the other Outcasts still had their guns down, they were listening to McGraw and he seemed intent on keeping his word.

"Alright. I'm keeping this." Pegasus hefted the gauss rifle. "Keep a t-51b in storage for me here, I'll be back for it someday. We're taking as much as we can carry." Pegasus stomach gave a loud gurgle. "And get me some water and food!"

Back in the wasteland were they first heard the distress signal, the pair now clad in white armor carrying an arsenal of weapons and bag of material worth a small fortune in caps. Were finally back on track towards their original destination.

"So you going to say anything about helping out the Outcasts?" Pegasus teased.

Clover didn't say anything, every time he looked she just looked at him blankly. Not with lusting eyes or the crazed fanaticism he'd seen back in paradise.

"Do you want to say anything to me? Like why you warned me about the Outcasts?

"There's the RobCo factory." Clover said pointing behind him. "According to your friend we'll see Tenpenny tower from that point."

She didn't want to talk. That was fine, they could walk in silence for a bit. The fact that Clover had referred to Moria as a friend instead of bitch was surprising.

Turns out they weren't the only one at the RobCo factory. A man in a dirty jumpsuit, accompanied by two Mr. handy's and a protectron were in the parking lot cooking a rat.

" _HOLD YOUR POSITION OR YOU WILL BE FIRED UPON COMMIE!"_

He stood corrected, the green paint was faded to a pale shade, and the plasma caster barely glowed, but it was a Gutsy.

"Stand down RL-3!" The man said. "Sorry about that, he can be a bit touchy."

"Not a problem, it's good to have a sentry." Pegasus said making sure nothing he or Clover did indicate a hostile action. "We're heading to Tenpenny tower, what are you doing in these parts?"

"You two must be looking for a job in security the way you look. Me, I'm tinker Joe, robot trader, you're looking at my latest wares." Joe greeted.

" _YOU HOLD THE RANK OF CAPTAIN, AND YOU COMPANION IS A MEMBER OF THE MEDICAL CORPS. SIR MY APOLOGIES FOR NOT RECOGNIZING YOU, THOUGHT YOU MIGHT BE COMMIE INFILTRATORS! ARE YOU TRANSFERRING FROM ANOTHER BASE?"_ RL-3 asked.

"RL-3 still thinks it's fighting against China." The merchant explained.

"RL-3, you know a robot called RL-2" Pegasus asked. Wondering just how much of that simulation was real.

" _RL-2 WAS LAST POSTED ANCHORAGE AND WAS PRONOUNCED DIA DURING CHINESE BOMBARDMENT! LOST A DAMN FINE SOLDIER!"_

"Yes I did." RL-2 had proven to be quite useful in the simulation. "Is he for sale?"

"Told you he's my wares, I'll sell him to you for a thousand caps." Joe said.

Pegasus didn't have nearly that much to spare. Fortunately, he still had all the stuff that he'd take with him from the outcasts. The bag held energy cells for both sets of-51's, along with the Crimson Dragoon armor stuffed inside of it. He wasn't about to give that up, but the rest of the stuff he could spare. After twenty minutes of negotiation, and the trading of several small energy cells, fission batteries, microfusion cells, and other pieces of useful electronic devices. RL-3 was under his command.

" _IT WAS A PRIVILEGE TO SERVE YOU SIR!_ " RL-3 said to the robo merchant. " _WHAT IS THE NAME OF MY NEW COMMANDER?"_

"Pegasus, and Clover is my second in command."

" _COMMANDER PEGASUS I WISH TO DEPART FORM THIS MAGGOT, HE CAN'T EVEN FIX MY PLASMA CASTER PROPERLY. AT BASE PUT IN A REQUISITION FOR THE MECHANICS' RESIGNATION DUE TO GROSS NEGLIGENCE_!"

"I'm right here!" Joe protested.

" _AND I CAN SAY WHAT I WANT TO YOU, MAGGOT! YOU'RE NOT MY COMMANDING OFFICER ANYMORE!"_

"I see what you mean by touchy." Pegasus laughed.

"Tenpenny tower is that way. Take that junk out of my sight." The merchant pointed.

Though it was several miles away, from the distance you could see the outline of Tenpenny tower. Pegasus had been expecting possible something like he saw back a Wilhelm's dock, crumbling buildings that were the remnants of skyscrapers. Yet it looked as though the tower was in fact an intact skyscraper.

As they got closer, it turned out to be exactly that. The outside paint was mismatched, showing that someone had taken the time to have the place fixed up. From the height and width of the tower, Pegasus figured that the entire population of Megaton could live inside with room to spare. The tower was surrounded by a wall of high concrete, behind them a strangely sweet aroma carried into the wasteland. Hearing raised voices, they found the gated entrance to the tower, a red-haired ghoul wearing dark blue, with a type-17 on his back, arguing with someone over the intercom.

"You can tell Tenpenny to kiss my ass! We have plenty of bottle caps!" The ghoul argued. "I can stand here all day if I have to!"

"No way Roy, how many times do I have to tell you. Tenpenny won't allow zombies inside." The voice answered.

"Who you calling a zombie? Gustavo you bigoted piece of shit, can't you tell the difference between me and a feral?"

"I told you for the last time. NO ZOMBIES ALLOWED!"

"Fine! I'll show you the difference between a feral and me! You'll pay for this! all of you!

Roy glanced at the three before sneering in disgust.

"Excuse me can you tell me- "

"Fuck off smoothskin, I'm not in the mood for any more of your kinds shit and bigotry."

Roy walked away, Pegasus didn't disturb him knowing he wouldn't get anywhere with him. Watching Roy head towards a small ruined town.

He needed to deal with Burke before doing anything else. Hopefully this Tenpenny wasn't nearly as closed minded as Roy made him sound.

"Hello." Pegasus said to the intercom.

"I thought I told you to get the hell out of here!? Tenpenny doesn't want your goddamn caps, and I don't want the goddamn headache. For the last time…get your rotting, ugly, goddamn ghoul ass off mister Tenpenny's private property!"

"You talk to all your guest like this?" Pegasus asked. Slightly taken aback by the insults.

"What? Sorry about that." Gustavo sounded sorry before suddenly becoming serious again. "I must inform you that you are currently trespassing on Mr. Tenpenny's private property. So unless you have any business here I suggest you leave."

Pegasus figured that he wouldn't be able to just get in off the bat. "would a toll of 50 caps get me in?"

"Now you're starting to sound like a resident. Tell you what, make it a hundred caps and it's a deal."

"Deal."

Pegasus didn't want to push his luck and try to barter the price down, he learned that mistake with Moriarty.

The gates opened. A man with short black hair and thin tanned combat armor greeted him with a pointed rifle.

"Names Chief Gustavo, and I got my eye on you. You so much as spit in the wrong direction of any of the residents and I'll gladly throw your corpse out myself."


	17. Chapter 17 Rotting Tyrants

Neither Pegasus or Clover heard Gustavo's threat. So busy gawking at Tenpenny's courtyard that even a nuke wouldn't divert their attention.

A finely craved fountain of a maiden pouring water into a pool, an actual fountain with an actual pool. The smell from earlier turned out to be trees. Real green leaf trees that even had fruit. Pears, apples, peaches, and apricots fruits that he'd only ever seen in ancient home and garden magazines.

"Don't drink from the fountain or pick anything from Mr. Tenpenny's orchard." Gustavo explained. "We have guards everywhere and you so much as touch a fruit on the ground and you will be shot."

" _YOU ARE TO ADDRESS CAPTAIN PEGASUS AS SIR! CHIEF GUSTAVO!"_ Rl-3 exclaimed. " _YOU'RE CHIEF OF A CLEARLY CIVILIAN BASE AND THE COMMONWEALTH IS UNDER MARTIAL LAW BECAUSE OF COMMUNIST INVASION! CAPTAIN PEGASUS HAS EVERY RIGHT TO USURP YOU COMMAND AND PUT YOU UNDER COURT-MARTIAL FOR INSUBORDINATION!"_

"Is that so?" Gustavo smirked looking as though daring Pegasus to do it.

"Rl-3 stand down." Pegasus rubbed his temples in frustration over Gustavo's laughter. "Gustavo has full command of this base."

" _BY YOUR ORDERS COMMANDER!"_

There went his cover. Now all Burke had to do was ask to find out he was here.

" _COMMANDER I RECOMMEND THAT ALL THIS MATERIAL BE CONFISCATED BY ORDER OF THE US GOVERNMENT AND THESE MILITIAMEN CONSCRIPTED TO FIGHT THE REDS!"_ RL-3 nearly shouted.

"Are you trying to get me shot?" Pegasus asked.

"I think you got ripped off lover." Clover smirked, clearly enjoying the situation.

Luckily nobody tried to shoot him, Gustavo went to several other guards and seemed to find Rl-3 statements amusing. He hoped they would just dismiss this all as a joke.

"Rl-3 let's get something clear; when you address me in front of others, don't say my name along with the rank."

" _CHINESE ASSASSINS AND INFILTRATORS WOULD LOVE TO KILL AN OFFICER. IT WOULD BE GROSSLY UNPROFESSIONAL HOWEVER TO JUST CALL YOU BY NAME COMMANDER!"_

"Just call me commander then!"

" _BY YOUR ORDERS COMMANDER!"_

Ignoring clover's laughter, glancing around to find someone that may be of help. A couple setting at a pristine white table and fancy looking chairs where drinking what looked to be tea. The man wore a white suit and matching pants while the woman wore a pink dress, heels and bonnet. What was amazing was how well-nourished and clean they looked. Remembering Jericho calling him 'water fat', that was the best description he could give them as well.

"My word. Who in their right mind let you people in?" The man said taking one look at them.

"From the way you people smell I thought you might have been those pesky ghouls!" The woman cringed.

"Sorry about the smell. May I ask who I am addressing?" Pegasus said trying to be as polite as possible.

"Well your good manners certainly show that you're from superior stock. You are addressing Edgar Wellington II, and this is my wife Millicent."

"A pleasure."

"Merely being in our presence should be a pleasure!" Millicent screeched. "Oh how are we going to live if they let in this rabble? What next, the ghouls?"

From behind Pegasus someone shouted. "Tallyho!"

"Oh, its Herbert." Edgar's tone sounded like dread.

Pegasus was even more surprised by Herbert then he was by anything else in courtyard. The man was very old, probably at least in his late sixties with his wrinkles and long white beard. Most surprisingly of all, he was fat. His belly bulged over his beltline. Not even in the Vault had he seen someone so overweight, or so old.

"Well I was hoping to meet our newest ghoul residents, but alas it seems that our chief has yet to change his mind." Herbert said cheerfully. "But it's still nice to see some new faces!"

Offering his hands to Clover, she answered with a look of disgust. Not to be dismayed, stepping passed her with his hand still out towards Pegasus shaking his hand. "Herbert 'daring' Dashwood at your service!" Leaning in he took a deep whiff of Pegasus.

"That's disgusting!" Millicent shouted.

"Ah the smell of the adventurer!" Said Herbert. "I know that smell well, stuck with me for months on end back when I was a young fellow. And look at you two, armed to the teeth, well maintained armor and even your own robot buddy! You couldn't be anything else but adventurers looking for your fortune!"

"I take it you were an adventure yourself?" Pegasus said. Hoping that 'daring' Dashwood would be a lot more helpful then the Wellingtons.

"Started when I was twenty, ended when I was fifty-something! Been living here for the past ten years enjoying my retirement. I am glad to see young people taking up the life though."

"Can you show us around? I'm hoping to rest up here before heading back out in the Wasteland."

"Of course my boy, follow me!"

Herbert had the bounce of a much younger man. Inside the tower clean white walls and crystal chandeliers hung from the ceiling. Red carpet formed a path to a carved wood desk with a pretty woman in a sharp suit behind it. Furniture that looked like it had been taken straight from the ancient magazines and materialized to better suit the already luxurious allure of the tower. Not even in his wildest fantasies had Pegasus ever pictured that such a place would have existed.

"what was this place?" Pegasus asked.

" _SIR BEFORE THE WAR, THIS PLACE WAS ONCE A FIVE-STAR RESORT THAT HOUSED SEVERAL MEMBERS OF THE PRESIDENTS' CABINET, ALSO A KNOWN PLACE FOR THE MILITARY CHIEFS OF STAFFS TO VISIT."_ Rl-3 stated.

"Spot on my tin friend." Herbert said. "You sound like a much more interesting companion then old Shakes. Speaking of which, let me buy you all a drink at the Federalist Lounge!"

"I'd rather you buy me a bath and shave." Pegasus half-joked.

"I'll do that to, though I would like to see that young woman friend of yours in naked and wet."

"No deal."

Herbert's smiled faltered over Pegasus glare. "Sorry, didn't realized she was that special to you. My mistake."

"It's nothing like that." Pegasus stammered, feeling the need to explain.

"Not to worry my boy, I know how it is with young men and women. Why I met my faithful man servant Argyle when I stole his girlfriend. Those were the days. Though I don't need another Rockopolis, when I slept with the chief's daughter we had to dodge a lot of bullets on that one!"

The lounge looked like something out of an old pulp movie, thick cigar smoke hanged in the air, a busy pool table, jukebox blaring music, and a well-stocked bar with a protectron behind the table. Everyone in the lounge was just as well-nourished as the Wellingtons. They took a glance at the three with distained, then looked at Dashwood before shrugging. As though him bringing in strange people was a normal thing.

"Hello there Shakes, four shots of whiskey." Herbert said downing one immediately. "for Argyle."

"Comrade Dashwood! A pleasure to see you." An old Asian looking man with a round face and thick glasses came up to them. "I hope to see you at the next Tenpenny commune this Wednesday?"

"Can't say for sure Chairman Cheng." Herbert said, but from the undertone it was clear that Herbert was trying his best not to laugh off the entire idea. "The last time I went to your little meeting it was just you and me. Now if you could convince Susan to join then that would be nice."

"what about you two?" Cheng asked. "you interested in joining the Communist Commune?"

" _THE ONLY GOOD COMMUNIST IS A DEAD COMMUNIST!"_ Rl-3 stated pointing his plasma caster as Cheng.

"Stand down!" Pegasus shouted.

" _SIR THIS COMMUNIST HAS INFILTRATED A BASE ON US SOIL THEY MUST BE DEALT WITH!"_

"these are the good communist! Like-uh-Russia!" Pegasus stammered out remembering the Commonwealth and Russian USSR had diplomatic relations before the war.

" _THE MAN IS CLEARLY OF CHINESE DESCENT AND CHAIRS THE NAME WITH CHAIRMAN CHENG OF CHINA. HE'S DOING NOTHING BUT TURNING THE RED WHITE AND BLUE PURE RED!"_

"Ah-but you see it's a trick!" Pegasus quickly thought of something to confuse RL-3. "We let him start his communist party in Tenpenny tower. That way, all the communist come here and leave the rest of America alone."

" _AN INGENIOUS TRAP COMMANDER! LURE ALL THE REDS IN ONE SPOT AND GAS THEM LIKE THE REBELS IN COLORADO. A BRILLIANT MOVE! CHAIRMEN CHENG, MAKE SURE YOU GET AS MANY COMMUNIST MEMBERS AS YOU CAN YOU RED SON OF A BITCH."_

Good to note that Rl-3 had some logic circuit problems. Something that he needed to fix. He was also curious just what the US government did in Colorado.

"Your robot is much more interesting and colorful then ours." Cheng stuttered.

"He still thinks he's fighting in the war." Pegasus explained.

" _THE WAR HAS NEVER BEEN OFFICIALLY ENDED. IT HAS BEEN GOING ON FOR 211 YEARS AND THE CHINESE WILL FALL BEFORE THE USA! OORAH!"_

Everyone in the lounge started laughing like it was the funniest thing they'd ever heard. Even Cheng gave a chuckle.

"Well you must know that I wish for people to listen to what I have to say. This place can be so much more than a place of luxury. It can become a superpower of the Wasteland! A true commune of democracy and community!"

"That's the problem right there Irving. Nobody wants to become a superpower these days, and no such things as democracy has ever worked ever. Better just to live without worrying about where the next drinks coming from." Herbert said patting him on the shoulders.

Herbert took them to the bathhouse. Which turned out to be the hotels former indoor pool and spa. The once large pool had been turned into many smaller bathes, all filled with water. Rl-3 was told he'd have to wait outside so not to contaminate the waters.

"Quite the sight isn't it?" Herbert said. "So you two want to tell me the real reason why you're here?"

"What do you mean?" Pegasus asked.

"We're here because some asshole tried to kill him and now we're going to kill him before he kills us." Clover explained.

"And who's the asshole?"

"Some guy named Burke."

"Ohho! Now what exactly did you do to piss him off? That's something even I'm careful not to do. You're just lucky he's out doing business for Tenpenny right now. Otherwise you might have an 'accident' in the tub."

"He tried to set off the bomb and Megaton, and wanted me to be the triggerman. He didn't take my refusal lightly and sent several hitmen after me." Pegasus explained. Glad that Burke wasn't even in the tower which gave him some time, and had no reason to lie now that Clover had told everything.

"Who were the hitmen?"

"Some people calling themselves Talon Company."

"If that's the case, then you're going to want to talk to Tenpenny about Burke. Because Talons are known to never stop until the target is dead. I'll see if I can arrange a meeting for you."

"Why are you helping us out so much?" Pegasus asked.

"You're one to ask that! Seeing how you go around helping everyone without much prodding." Said Clover.

"To be honest with you, I'm mostly doing it because I find it amusing. And you can perhaps convince Tenpenny to let the ghouls in." Herbert said. "This place is starting to get quite dull, besides I might get myself another man servant. So you need to look your best to talk to him. I'll be back with my straight razor until then, enjoy your bath."

Pegasus had never taken a bath before in his life. 101 had only allowed community showers and even that was timed to a maximum of ten minutes. Stripping his armor, he gingerly put his naked body into the hot pool. The water was hotter than anything the vaults had ever permitted. The water came up to his neck when he finally relaxed in it, the fact that he was bathing in enough water to keep a dozen people hydrated for a week made question the reason for this gross amount of privilege.

"You should get cleaned up as well Clover." said Pegasus finding a bar of soap, it had strange fruity smell to it. There was even a small hand mirror made out of material that prevented it from fogging up. It was the first time looking at himself since leaving the vault.

The sun had darkened his skin to a copper hew, also starting to grow quite the beard. The hair on his head and the hair on his face were showing more streak of white in them, a lot more then when he left the Vault.

Feeling the water shift, Clovers naked body caressed up against him and felt her hand move up his thigh.

"Clover stop it!" He said pushing her away.

Clover infuriated stood up. "Why don't you want my body!? Is it because I'm damaged goods!?" She demanded standing wide to show all her many scars. He noticed that she hadn't taken off her collar.

"I told you already, I have someone waiting for me."

And they've more than likely forgotten about you or betrayed you! Probably both! So you should just forget about them and take me!"

"Well I haven't forgotten and I'm damn sure not going to betray her. So you better get it through your head right now Clover, you and I are never going to be lovers! So I suggest you get in the bath next to me!"

"Like you don't want me, look, you're erect."

She was right. "Nothing more than the body's natural reaction. If the itch ever gets too much for me I'll go masturbate, something you should learn to do."

Gritting her teeth, she stepped out of the bath and went to the one next to him with her back turned. They didn't say anything to each other even when Herbert came back to give Pegasus the razor and even some shaving cream. Finishing cleaning his body he started to shave.

"It's nice that you're talking back to me Clover. I told you I don't mind it." Pegasus said in the middle of shaving.

"Eulogy never liked me talking back. I always had a problem with it." Clover mumbled, washing with her back turned towards him.

"You won't now. And I would like for us to just talk every once in a while. Like how do you know so much about the Outcasts?"

"None of your fucking business that's why!" She snapped. Turning to face him, she looked confused by the calm look on his face. "Not going to threaten me for defying you?"

"No." his tone made it sound like such a silly question, that Clover seemed even more confused.

"You really mean what you say Lover?"

"Yeah."

She turned away again, a curious look on her face. "I knew one." she said after a minute.

"Knew an Outcast?"

"Yep. Name was Tommy. Told me about the ideological split that happened between them and the Brotherhood. Told me why they were here, then he died."

"I'm sorry. How did he die?"

"Same way all people die, his heart stopped functioning!"

The sudden anger in her and use of several syllable words told him not to push it. She'd told enough for one day. He'd have to ask her to give details, but that was for another time. Something bounced away from the pool shattering at the wall.

"Why you throw the mirror?" He asked.

"Don't like them." She stated.

They finished bathing in silence. Getting dressed they saw Herbert standing at the doorway beaming towards at them.

"You saw me naked didn't you." Said Clover. It wasn't a question.

"Yes I did. I was actually hoping for a show, but you two didn't perform. Too bad."

"Did you managed to get us a meeting with Tenpenny?" Pegasus demanded, resenting that the only help he could get was from an old pervert.

"Not exactly. You're going to be bringing up his lunch. Already talked to the chef to let it happen. Though you're going to have to leave your weapons in my care."

Pegasus wasn't sure about trusting Herbert with their weapons. He knew that they looked far too clean and worth a lot of caps, and the last thing he wanted to do was leave the gauss rifle in the hands of anyone but him. He'd only just met Herbert not even an hour ago and he was being far too friendly.

Did Silver feel as suspicious when he suddenly helped her? Or Gob and Nova? The slaves in Paradise Falls? Morrill had been shocked that someone had come when he interrupted the signal. All the people he'd helped had a first looked at him with suspicion, this must've been how they felt.

"Alright I'll trust you 'daring' Dashwood." Pegasus said.

"Just so you know. The deal only for one, so one of you is going to have to stay with me."

Pegasus left Clover, along with nearly all of his gear in Herbert's room. Herbert had been a collector of sorts. Guns, old books, and lot of trophies from his adventuring days adored the walls and on old bookshelf in the middle of the room. Promising that he wouldn't touch Clover (and giving Clover permission to hurt Herbert if he did anything funny) he headed towards the elevator to the top floor.

The guard at Tenpenny's door was vigilant and even with the chef's note insisted that he go in with him. Opening the door to a grand view of the Capital Wasteland, an old man in a red smoking jacket holding a fine cigar between his fingers looked at him with a smile.

"Hello their young man." Tenpenny greeted cheerfully. "I take it you're the new help?"

"Not exactly Sir." Pegasus said being as polite as possible. "I actually came seeking an audience with you."

"Well it looks like you managed to succeed. Bravo!" Tenpenny sounded truly delighted. "You. Leave us."

"Sir?" The guard looked between the two of them.

"Shoo! Before I tell Gustavo to hire me a new guard. Sit down my dear boy."

From this height, Pegasus could make out the walls of megaton. "You have quite the view Mr. Tenpenny."

"Thank you. It's one of the reason why when I saw this building, I just had to build my home in it. Though my view is spoiled with that eyesore in the distance."

"You find Megaton an eyesore?" Pegasus leaned on the rail and felt it give before jumping back.

"Careful now, this place looks pretty but is still quite fragile." Tenpenny indicated the empty chair next to him. "Indeed I do, those people offend me, thinking that scraping by everyday like that is living. They should just kneel over already."

Pegasus put on his thick sunglasses, not trusting his eyes to betray his disgust. "So you don't like Megaton because they're poor?"

"I don't like that scrapheap that they call a home." Tenpenny explained pouring two cups of peach tea. "Irving has made a ruckus saying that we should be trading with them and the other settlements. I would be considerate to the idea if they actually had anything to offer."

"They could offer their services to you, they'd do a lot and be grateful towards you for just a small piece of what you have."

"What are you a Communist? Did Cheng send you up here? If we gave even a little piece to those peasants, then they'd all be asking for handouts! Speaking of which, time for safari."

Tenpenny took an old hunting rifle and came to the edge. Aiming towards a large area of desolate landscape and fired.

"Damn, my aims seem to be a bit off." Tenpenny's hands were shaking badly. "Here hold this."

Tenpenny handed him the rifle and opened up a case with needles and vials. Looking through the scope to where he'd been shooting. Pegasus saw a beat up wastelander tied up to a metal poll. Chambering a round, realizing how easy it would be to shoot this sick old bastard in the back.

"There we are. A little bit of old medicine to relax the hands." Tenpenny took the rifle back and fired. "Thanks for loading boy, you're a good sport. Maybe have Mr. Burke offer you a job."

"Where is Mr. Burke?" from what Pegasus had seen of Tenpenny there was no way in hell that he could convince him to remove the bounty on his head. Hell the sick old bastard probably found the bounty amusing.

"He's out getting me another slave. My personal favorite managed to get away with some help from people in green coats. Pegasus." Tenpenny smiled. "Care to sit down?"

"You know me?" Tenpenny was either extremely dangerous or a deluded fool to leave himself alone with him.

"Of course I know you dear boy. Mr. Burke told me you managed to thwart him in Megaton. I must say though that this isn't entirely unpleasant, you're showing to be so much more superior then those wasteland rabble. Why you could've shot me but handed my rifle back! Though you would've been killed immediately by the guard right outside the door. You are proving to be a true gentleman. So what do you want?"

Tenpenny offered him a cup of tea. "It's not poisonous I assure you."

Taking a sip, there wasn't a trace of dirt, only the taste of a pleasant fruit that he'd never had before in his life. Quickly drinking the entire cup, a pleasurable sigh escaped before he could stop himself.

"You enjoyed that? Just like I'm sure you enjoyed some of the other finer luxuries that my tower offers you. I do hope that you enjoyed them."

"Any chance of you taking the bounty off my head?" Pegasus asked.

"It's not my bounty. Mr. Burke is paying out of his own pocket. If you want it gone you're going to have to talk to him." Tenpenny smiled kindly. As though he was lecturing someone trying to weasel out of a debt. "Though I do say that if you come work for me, we can slowly make that debt disappear."

"What would you have me do?" Pegasus already figured that he wouldn't like it one bit.

"Take care of that pesky ghoul problem." Tenpenny said. "They're always blackening my doorstep and frankly they're just being a pest. So go put them down."

"Why not have your men do it?"

"I don't want to lose any of my security forces, besides this would be a great test of your loyalty."

"Why not let them in then?"

Tenpenny laughed. "Let them in!? You mean live here with us!"

"They said they have the caps. And if it's true that they do, then why would you care what they look like?"

"Because they're _ghouls_! Not people."

"Then you should really let them in." A lie forming in his head. "You can get their caps, potentially get some use out of them, then discard them when no longer necessary."

Tenpenny looked grandfatherly and understanding towards him. "If you're really so hardened by such actions, then why didn't you let Mr. Burke get rid of Megaton?"

"Because those where people. Real people, the only ghoul in Megaton was a slave and quite the diligent one to. So I know that they would make for good servants, and they can't run and hide, their physical appearance makes it impossible."

"Well the tower could always use more servants, and you're right they can't just run away, and if they do get out of line we could always use some more sport for safari. Very well my boy, I'll let the ghouls in. In return I'll arrange a meeting with Burke and you can convince him to take the bounty off."

"You're fucking kidding me?" Clover still couldn't believe what was happening. "You're playing hero, again, this time for people that told you flat out to fuck off?"

"That was just Roy. Hopefully the rest of the ghouls, if any, will be a lot more reasonable." Pegasus explained and dearly hoped.

" _COMMANDER I MUST OBJECT TO THIS COURSE OF ACTION. THIS IS LIKELY A COMMUNIST TRAP MEANT TO KILL AN OFFICER. CHAIRMEN CHENG SEEMED FAR TOO DELIGHTED WHEN YOU TOLD HIM WHAT YOU WERE DOING. I BET THAT DAMN CHINK IS LOOKING FORWARD TO YOUR DEATH."_

"Noted." Pegasus had told Cheng and Herbert before leaving to get the communist party ready for more members. Cheng had told him that their where people that already agreed with him, they just didn't like to be open about. He'd been simply delighted that his membership would go up.

"I was an honorary ghoul back in Underworld." Herbert had said. "They're just like us, if you can get passed them smelling like rotten meat."

Following the direction where Roy headed, most of it turned out to be a burned out town without a hint of life. Though there were still two buildings relatively intact, nobody had been living in them. There had only been one other place to look, the nearby metro station.

"You really think being an errand boy is going to magically clear out your debt? They're just going to keep using you until you drop dead Lover."

Feeling a hot wave of humid air and the smell of rotting meat. Some of the metro tunnels lights were working, a clear sign that someone was living here. "I don't think Tenpenny expects me to last that long. Probably thinks he just sent me to my death. I wonder if he'll actually let the ghouls in when we come back with them?"

" _SCANNING SIR."_ Rl-3 said. " _MAKING NOTES OF THE GROSS NEGLECT ON THE PART OF THE D.C CIVIL SERVANTS. SOMEONE'S ASS IS GOING TO GET CHEWED OUT FOR THIS MESS!"_

"Ignore the damages Rl-3, just scan for any people." Pegasus ordered.

" _DETECTING PERSONS 40 METERS AHEAD COMMANDER! PROBABLY A COMMUNIST ASSASSIN!"_

It wasn't an assassin; it was a ghoul though unlike any of the other ghouls he'd ever seen. Completely malnourished and ragged, it looked as though it had been clawing away at its own body, it's eyes were white from damaged irises and completely bald with large tumor lumps. Hissing like a beast, charging towards them with its hands shaped like talons.

"I don't want to hurt you!" Pegasus pleaded. "We came to help!"

"It's feral Lover!" Clover shouted, firing her assault rifle, the bullets tore through the feral ghoul like wet paper. It fell to the ground in pieces.

Many loud hisses echoed through the metro tunnels now. The scraping of feet and ragged breathing came towards them as though they'd wakened the people of the tunnels, and they didn't like trespassers.

" _SIR, SEVENTEEN HOSTILES DETECTED! MOVING IN FAST NORTH AND NORTHWEST!"_ Rl-3 shouted firing his plasma caster, his aim was completely off and it the ceiling. _"DIE YOU DIRTY-COMMIE-SON-OF-A-BITCH!"_

RL-3's lights and his pip-boy illuminated enough for them to see, they crept out of the damaged trains and from piles of debris like creatures of old horror movies. There screams pierced his ears and they all rushed towards them. The three fired their weapons, the battle illuminated by their gunshots, Pegasus and Clover took out most of them, RL-3 fired wildly with his plasma caster and used up all his flamer fuel for one that got too close.

" _FOR THE GLORY OF THE USA!"_ RL-3 triumphantly said when the final ghoul fell.

forcing himself not to gag at the smell of ozone and burning meat. Feeling queasy at the sight of blood and torn limbs strewn everywhere. Though no stranger to death now, he'd never killed so many at once except in a simulation, finding himself wishing that the bodies would go away.

"Hands up the both of you!" someone said with the rough tones of a ghoul. "What the hell are you doing here!?"

Pegasus sighed in relief. At least this was someone he could talk to. "We don't mean any harm." One ghoul wore an old motorcycle helmet pointing an old 10mm submachine gun at him, flanked by several other ghouls pointing hunting rifles at them.

RL-3 fired widely at the ghouls, thankfully missing by a wide margin. _"DIE COMMUNIST!"_

"STAND DOWN!" RL-3 complied.

"So, come in peace shoot to kill? Pretty typical of you smoothskins." The lead ghoul said. "keep that can opener on a tighter leash."

"We're here on behalf of Mr. Tenpenny. I need to talk to Roy Philips, is he here?"

"What the hell you want with Roy?"

Pegasus explained everything that he could without giving up too much detail. A plan of how to get the ghouls and people of Tenpenny tower to live together, as equals not as servants had formed in his mind but he needed their help to do so.

"Alright, I'll buy it. Name's Michael by the way, you try anything and I'll kill you myself."

Michael checked RL-3 for anything suspicious, Clover and Pegasus handed their weapons to the other ghouls and were escorted through the ruins. Lights both electric and fire lit from ruined train cart and tattered camps littered along the railways. Ghoulish faces came out to stare at the passing strangers, most of them curious, some indifferent, luckily none with the wild frenzy like those first ones. The further in they got, the more humid it became, unfortunately the smell also got worse.

"You have water and electricity here?" Pegasus asked.

"Yeah, I'm the egghead around here. I know all about making sure all this crap remains working, though I really want to get back to my true passion, biology." Michael explained.

"I hope that we can help you with that." Pegasus said ignoring Clover's disgusted snort.

"if what you say is true, then I'll be looking forward to staying in that hotel again. Been far too long since my last check-in."

Pegasus wasn't sure what Michael meant. Was he a resident who'd been kicked out because of his becoming a ghoul? The maintenance section had the most electric lights and had to be the cleanest section of the entire metro station. Passing several heavily armed guards, each carrying their own Chinese assault rifles and thicker armor, Michael took them into a storage room that had been converted into a large apartment. A fine large bed and many lamps that all had the marking of Nuka-cola hanged inside the clean room. Roy was sitting at a computer terminal with a ghoulish woman in a tattered dress on his lap.

"What do you want? Is the disturbance dead yet?" Roy asked not bothering to look.

"The disturbance wishes to talk to you." Michael said. "This here is Pegasus and the other two his bodyguards."

This time Roy bothered to turn his head. "And why the hell would I want to listen to what some smoothskin has to say? Shoot them."

"It's about Tenpenny and the tower Roy. He says we can come in." Michael hastily explained.

"Really?" the women said. "So they finally let us in, we can stop selling water and finally start living!"

"Shut up Bessie! It's not like they're just going to open the gates and let us waltz right in!" Roy said pushing her off him. "What's the catch smoothie?"

"I want to talk to you alone about that." Answered Pegasus.

"All of you beat it." All of them went outside, it was only the two of them now. "There, now explain."

"Where are you getting all the water?" Pegasus asked.

"Aquifer. Tenpenny Tower sits on a large reserve of fresh water, either untouched by the fallout or filtered by the centuries. We managed to make a pipeline into it and syphon off what we can."

"Then why do you want to move into the tower in the first place? It looks like you guys have everything you need right here?"

"Oh, so we ghouls aren't good enough to live topside is that it? Much rather shove us all underground? Don't want to see us out in the open, too ugly for your sensitive eyes?"

"None of that. I grew up underground actually."

"Don't try and play the fucking sympathy bullshit card on me! No smoothskin grows up underground!" Roy pulled the only other chair to his desk, sitting down and putting his feet on the second. "So Tenpenny's finally accepted our caps?"

"Not exactly." Pegasus began.

Too bad. We've been selling his own water to passing caravans and others with the caps and been saving up." Roy chuckled.

"He thinks you're going to be coming in as servants to the tower and it residents." Pegasus explained. Roy was making him think twice about allying with him, but he was simply doing what someone had to do to survive.

"Servants? You mean slaves."

"That's what he has in mind." Pegasus agreed. "nNt all the residents agree with him on that though, you pay and they'll let you in. Tenpenny thinks that he can get some use out of you all then kill you all. But there's a committee inside that you can ally with and with them- "

Roy's laughter drowned out his explanation. "You really think some political bullshit going to make any difference? Boy you must've grown up underground to not understand this world. Power is the only thing that this world understands and obeys. Tenpenny thinks he has the power to make us slaves. We nearly have the power to force ourselves in."

"And what, I have the power to make you listen to me?"

"You made it past those feral didn't you?" Roy waved away Pegasus confused look. "What? You think I care about those mindless zombies? They don't attack fellow ghouls so that makes them a useful tool to us. I was going to use them to flood the tower and let ourselves in. Some of the others didn't agree with that but when we had the tower the complains would disappear. Guess I don't need to do that anymore though."

Roy got up, slightly taller than Pegasus, he looked down and smiled through missing white teeth. The smell of rotten meat and dirt seemed stronger than ever. "You know if Tenpenny has any weaknesses?"

"He takes drugs for his hands. I think he has arthritis. And he's still sexually active, though at his age I'm sure he's taking something to get it up."

"That's very useful." Roy patted him on the shoulder. "Well I was originally just going to kill all those small minded bigots, but this way's much easier. Let's go."

"Welcome back young Pegasus! I'm surprised that they didn't just kill you where you stood." Tenpenny said taking a sip from his cold tea.

"I take it that was your plan right?" Pegasus accused.

Both of them were standing back in the balcony. Roy was waiting outside to discuss the terms of the ghouls' incorporation as residents. Though some of the residents looked at the ghouls with disgust and mistrust like the Wellingtons and Gustavo, many of the others seemed to welcome the ghouls, Bessie had blushed (or he thought she blushed) When Herbert had flirted with her and even kissed her hand. Michael had talked to the resident doctor and they found out they shared common ground in finding out what made the ghouls what they were. And Irving Cheng's Tenpenny communist party swelled with new members, before coming up here they'd seen many ghouls listening to Cheng's party principles, even some of the residents now seemed brave enough to stand close and listen to him.

"Well I didn't comprehend that ghouls could actually be reasoned with!" Tenpenny laughed. "I did think that you were going to die and that would be the end of it. But you surprise me Pegasus, you truly are quite resourceful and may I say diplomatic. I can always use someone like you in my ranks. To keep the rabble down there from getting out of hand."

"No thanks. I just need that bounty off my head. I don't need hitmen chasing me throughout the Capital Wasteland."

"Dear boy didn't I tell you already, that's between you and Burke. Though if you manage to keep this new situation in hand, and make sure that the ghouls know their place here. Then I'm sure that I can convince him to lower the bounty."

Clover was right, Tenpenny was just going to use him until he dropped dead. Keeping what he wanted just out of reach. And pleading his case to Tenpenny would just be wasted air.

"Now if you excuse me dear boy I'm going to retire. Miss Susan need to keep me company until Burke comes back with the new slave. I do hope she's to my liking." Tenpenny patted him on the shoulder. Opening the doors coming face to face with Roy, they gave each other a mocking smile of acknowledgement before leaving.

"So you defending us smoothie?" Roy asked. "This is a really nice gun by the way. I've been around for some time and I've never seen anything like this."

Roy handed him his gauss rifle. The ghouls had given them back their weaponry and Tenpenny had even allowed them to bring their weapons when talking to him.

"Tenpenny's overconfident. And you don't like him too much do you?" Roy asked.

"No. He's trying to keep me in debt bondage." Pegasus said looking through the scopes to towards Tenpenny's killing field. Seeing movement, he zoomed in seeing one of those eyebot things floating around. Leaning on the solid part of the balcony, seeing below him the main body of Tenpenny's orchards, the deep green stood in contrast to the sea of brown in front of him.

"Well it's a good thing he's so confident in himself." Roy said moving next to him. "He won't think anyone tampered with his Buffout."

"What did you do? How?"

"I was a cop at one point in my life." Roy waved towards the Wasteland. "I know how to get into a room without someone noticing, and I know where druggies like to stash their stuff. And you were right about him needing penis pills. He's going to come and go at the same time."

Roy laughed at the thought. Pegasus gave a weak smile, that still left Burke. he was uncomfortable that that thought came into his head first and not the murder Roy had planned.

"Do you ever have a problem with killing?" Pegasus asked. Remembering his hesitation in the simulation.

"No. Never did even back when I was a smoothskin. I have no problem with killing Tenpenny. I wouldn't have a problem killing you until you helped us out. And I won't have a problem killing everyone else in this hotel."

Roy picked up Tenpenny's rifle and looking out to the killing fields. Pegasus felt his blood freeze in his veins. "Why would you do that?" He whispered.

"Because there nothing but a bunch of bigoted assholes who think were just zombies meant to serve. You said it yourself."

"Tenpenny wanted to do that to you! There're good people here that don't mean the ghouls any harm."

"Doesn't matter, they're all elitist bastards. I'm looking forward to being the new management of this place."

"And you're going to do that by murdering everyone else that doesn't agree with you?" Pegasus mocked, his blood running hot.

"I don't have to justify myself to you. You have no problems with me murdering Tenpenny. In fact, aren't I solving one of your little problems by killing him?" Roy countered.

Pegasus didn't speak. Roy smirked and continued.

"It's how the wasteland works kid. You want something you take it. If someone stands in your way you co-opt them or kill them." Roy mockingly smiled. "I see, you're one of those stupid smoothskins that think that they can somehow maintain a resemblance of innocence out here? Too bad you're already an accomplice to murder. Why else would you tell me about Tenpenny's drugs? You wanted me to do the dirty deed and keep your hands clean. And now it's going to look like he died of a heart attack, and both our hands are going to be sparkling!"

A small flash towards the killing fields got their attention. Using the rifles, seeing several people in the gear accustomed to raiders dragging a skinny dark haired woman towards the pole. Tying her hands above her head, they ripped open her shirt exposing her breasts and one raider started fondling her.

"We're getting quite the show eh?" Roy said.

Controlling the impulse to shoot Roy. Someone in a dark stripped suit and fedora came over the hills, carrying the destroyed eye-bot. His face shown with sinister intent. Burke. He waved towards the tower, assuming that Tenpenny must be looking down upon them.

Pegasus answered with a round through one of the raiders heads. Even at this distance the gauss rifle had almost perfect accuracy. Unlike digitizing like the simulation, in reality and without power armor, the raider's head exploded into a red mist. The other raider looked shockingly towards Burke who looked just as confused. Pegasus hoped Burke was feeling frightened and betrayed, the next round went straight through Burke leaving a gaping red hole in his chest. Dropping to his knees the last look on his face seemed to be a look of confusion as he died. The final raider fled for it, Pegasus thought of shooting him to leave no witnesses but figured it be best if wherever that raider came from, they'd know that Tenpenny tower would no longer be buying their services.

"Very nice. I take it that was you last loose end?" Roy asked.

"Almost."

Roy looked smugly at him, wondering what could possibly be the next thing? Pegasus gave Roy a push. The guard rail gave out to Roy's weight he fell down the tower with a look of disbelief on his face. He didn't even scream. Roy vanished in the orchards. There was still a chance that he could still be alive but Pegasus doubted it.

Rushing back to the Elevator, Pegasus could hear the sound of a woman moaning and the creaking of be springs coming from Tenpenny's room. It may look like too much of a coincidence for both of them to die so close to one another and that could be extremely bad looking for him. He was the only up here with the both of them and everyone in Tenpenny tower knew it.

A lot of people where still greeting their ghoulish residents in the halls. Irving Cheng had gotten some couches together and must've been making a political statement while Herbert was most likely entertaining the guest with stories.

"Everyone! Roy Phillips fell off the tower!" Pegasus shouted.

All the Tenpenny residents barely paid him any attention while the ghouls looked at him in horror.

"What happened! Where is he?" Bessie cried.

"He was using Tenpenny's rifle, looking over the view of the wasteland, he leaned against the railing and it gave out." Pegasus lied.

"You can't be serious!" Michael shouted moving passed the local doctor.

"He fell into the orchard in the back!" Pegasus felt a slight unease in his stomach at how easy it was to lie.

Herbert was the first one out the door followed closely by Bessie, several of the other ghouls followed as well.

"Hold on! Nobody goes into Tenpenny's orchards without permission!" Gustavo shouted.

"If you want to shoot me for trying to save a man's life then shoot me!" Herbert retorted.

Gustavo and the others guards didn't make a move, just looking at each other wondering what to do. Pegasus, Bessie and Michael followed Herbert through the orchards. It didn't take long to find Roy's body. He landed headfirst onto the ground, his head seemed to have been pushed into his chest, Tenpenny's rifle in his hand.

Bessie fell to her knees sobbing. Herbert went over to the body and moved it to a more dignified manner.

"Damn shame. He was a good shepherd though. Managing to get his flock a home before passing." Herbert mumbled.

Herbert comforted Bessie, she screamed to not want to leave Roy but finally relented when Herbert promised a true funeral. Michael stared at Roy for the longest time. "Karma's a bitch ain't it?"

"What do you mean?" Pegasus asked.

"Roy was willing to kill everyone here to give us a home. now that we don't have to, I guess karma's making him pay for even planning to." Michael explained.

Pegasus wanted to get out of here before karma decided to be a bitch to him. Gathering Clover and RL-3 and quickly saying their goodbyes to everyone.

"Why are you leaving now? You're the reason we're in here right?" A ghoulish resident asked.

"I can't say. You have a home here now. I don't. still have someone out there that I'm looking for." Pegasus explained.

"The life of an adventure is your game. I understand it all too well." Herbert said. "Well if you ever have weary feet, know that you're always welcome here now."

"I don't think you can speak for Mr. Tenpenny Herbert." Gustavo said. "Boy still need to pay the price for admission."

"I will." Pegasus hoped he'd never have to come back here again.

"So where are we heading Lover?" Clover asked. Breathing hard, it was hard to keep up with him, running so fast.

"To Megaton. But first I need to help a woman." Pegasus answered.

She was still there, tied up looking as though she'd been crying the entire time. She started to struggle when she saw them coming.

"Please! Don't take me to him! I've heard what he does!" She pleaded.

"Relax I'm not here to kill, rape, or take you as Tenpenny's slave." Pegasus said stoically.

"You just need to keep playing the hero huh?" Clover mocked.

" _SIR THAT IS BAD FORM! YOU ARE A SOLDIER NOT A MARTYR!"_ RL-3 agreed.

 _But I'm a murderer_. Pegasus felt disgusted, trying to justify what he'd done. Killing Roy had been the only way to ensure that the human and ghouls could at least have the chance to live together. Besides, Roy had proven to be nothing more than a poorer version of Tenpenny. Didn't he?

Trying to shake the doubts out of his head, he hardly noticed that he'd cut the slave girl loose. Walking over to where Burke's body was, kicking him over to make sure that he was dead, a large hole the size of an apple had gone straight through, if there were any other doubts the giant pool of blood underneath him would have sufficed.

Checking Burke pulse and not finding one. "Can I go?" A whimpering voice pleaded.

"Sure. Go wherever you want. Go home if you can." Pegasus thought of Amata and his dad, wondering if he'd ever tell them about what he did. A small voice that sounded like Mojo was telling him that he'd done good, but it was doing nothing to ease his conscious.

The slave girl ran as far away as she could. Watching her run. "Am I a good person?" He asked aloud.

"You're not dead yet so I say no." Clover answered.

" _SIR GOODNESS IS NOT NECESSARY FOR DUTY, ONLY OBEDIENCE!"_ RL-3 added.

Their answers drowned out Mojo's.


	18. Chapter 18 Chapter One: Survive

_Did you know, there are those amongst us who would shatter our hopes for peace, order, and security? These radical malcontents don't care about you. They don't care about America! All they care about is fulfilling their own selfish desires. Let's take a tally of these agitators, shall we? There are, of course, the raiders. Those anarchistic ruffians who roam the wastes, preying on any and all, stealing, murdering. The so-called "Brotherhood of Steel." Now, don't be fooled by their pseudo-knightly nonsense or supposed connections to the United States Army. These... power-armored boy scouts are nothing more than common criminals with access to some antiquated technology. Criminals who have had the audacity to claim this country's most important military installation, the Pentagon, as their own personal clubhouse! And don't be fooled, America. Those who have left the Brotherhood of Steel, branded Outcasts, are just as dangerous; even more so, being in exile. And what about the slavers of Paradise Falls? The frighteningly irradiated ghouls of Underworld? And last but not least, the hideously mutated super mutants that have completely overrun the entire downtown D.C. area. Lawlessness, terror, murder. They're all around us, I know. I know. But not for long, sweet America. Not for long. Oh no. The Enclave will restore peace, order, and prosperity to this great nation. And those who oppose us will be… removed. Forever. And now, one of my inspirational quotes. From the mouth of your President, John Henry Eden, straight to your heart. "Associate with men of good quality, if you esteem your own reputation, for it is better to be alone, than in bad company._ The radio started to play the star spangled banner.

"no truer words have ever been spoken!" Nathan cheered raising his glass as a toast.

" _GLORY TO THE USA!"_ Rl-3 agreed.

Pegasus tried to smile, but president's Eden's words cut deep. In no way did he feel like a man of good quality, no matter how he tried to justify it, Pushing Roy off that balcony had been a cold blooded murder. Raider's murdered and killed to get what they wanted, had he done the same to get what he wanted?

"You okay there Pegasus? I know the look of someone with too much on his mind." Gob said pouring him a glass of dark whiskey. "Here. On the house. Silver! Get our friend something to eat please."

"Sure boss." Silver replied from the kitchen. "And Pegasus, welcome back!"

"So you wanna talk about whatever?" Gob asked.

"I like what you've done with the place." Pegasus really wanted to change the subject.

The bar was a lot cleaner and much more lively then he'd remembered from last time. Like the owners, every patron seemed happier now that Moriarty was gone. The entire place had been spriced up and even smelled better though the linger smell of cigars always hanged. Outside, the sign _Moriarty's Saloon_ had been painted over with yellow letters that now read _Gob's Tavern_. The tavern had become booked during the time he had been gone, word traveled fast in the Capital Wasteland and it seemed like a lot of travelers where coming just to see that Moriarty was gone.

"Yeah we like it to. So do the customers now that we cut the piss form our drinks! Though it sucks that the only station that still comes in is the fricking Enclave." Gob said bitterly. "Any luck with your dad?"

"No."

Another weight in his stomach mingled with his guilt. He'd lost so much time now that he wasn't sure if he could ever find his dad. The only leady he had was still GNR and nothing else. Listening to the people in the tavern, nobody here had heard or seen a wandering vault doctor. Three Dog had said that anyone should help his dad fight the good fight, whatever the hell that was. Yet not one rumor that his dad had been seen. His dad was more than likely dead, and like Clover said, he'd wasted time playing hero.

"You bear the look of one who is haunted." A caravan trader said staring at him. "Unfortunate if you truly are the Pegasus."

"You know me?" He asked looking up from the whiskey, which was looking better the more he stared at it. "You make my name sound like a title."

"Indeed, Moira Brown has told us all how you're going to be the one who helps her save the Wasteland. I take it she's still working on that ridiculous book of hers?"

"I did promise her that I would help write it. Who are you to call her idea ridiculous?"

"My name's Crow." He said offering his hand. "Perhaps ridiculous was too harsh a word, I share her understanding of the thirst for knowledge, but believe that people don't need a guide. Only protection. That's why I specialize in repairing and making of armor."

"So just give them some armor and say best of luck?" Snide Pegasus.

"Indeed I do." Crow answered. "But that is the path in life that I have chosen. The look upon your face shows someone who is unsure of their path in this life. I find that saddening for I hoped that the Pegasus would be the one to help a ridiculous woman with her ridiculous idea, and hopefully prove that it wasn't such a foolish idea after all."

Crow finished his drink bowed and left. Silver placed a dish of food on the counter and gave him a friendly wink. Though still willowy, she looked happier then he'd ever remembered. The food turned out to be a really thin potato soup. Running his spoon through it, finding the peels had been left in, and one mouthful discovered that it really hadn't been cooked at all.

"You like it?" Silver asked eagerly.

Pegasus smiled and took another bite of the undercooked soup. Her smile and Gob running the bar somewhat eased what was haunting him. Seeing what had become of the tavern now that Moriarty was gone, there was no doubt that things had improved greatly even for the rest of Megaton. The trader's seemed to prefer dealing with Nova then with Moriarty, even stopping in for drinks from Gob.

Nova came in looking annoyed. She dressed much more modestly now that she wasn't selling herself for her debts. Jericho came stumbling in not far behind her with a bottle of vodka in his hand.

"Come on Nova. I'll pay you double what I paid last time!" Jericho slurred.

"I don't do that anymore. How many times to I have to tell you?" Nova snapped. "Besides that's still only half of what the usual rate was."

"Don't you miss me babe?" Jericho slurred, Stumbling to the counter. "Silver, always good to see that ass again. You wanna make a couple of caps on the side?"

"Fuck you you old disgusting drunk! Get the hell out of here!" Silver shouted.

"Don't you talk back to me bitch! Moriarty would backhand you for that shit!"

Gob pulled a 10mm from under the counter, his voice ice cold. "Can't you read you ignorant fuck? This is Gob's Tavern now, and you need to leave."

"Fuck you! Zombie-looking piss-ant shit! If I never had taken that fuck up on his- "Jericho drunkenly fell across the counter, his eyes widen in hatred when he finally realized Pegasus was here. "YOU! It's all your fucking fault asshole! I lost my money, I lost my pussy, I lost anything that made living here worth it! And I can't even go back now because of you!"

Screwing over Jericho so badly put a big smile on his face, listening to Jericho's complaints made him feel a lot better. "You still got your booze don't you?"

"Not for long he won't he keeps this crap up." Gob said. "Final warning Jericho, harass Nova or Silver again and I'll shoot you."

"You're sweet Gob honey, but I got my own weapon now." Nova pointed a Chinese pistol at him.

"Don't fuck with us Jericho." Silver warned pointing her own .32 at him.

Stupidly he looked between all four of them before pointing at Pegasus. "Cause you had to go kill Moriarty these assholes got their balls! And fucking took mine!"

Without Warning Jericho lunged at him, Pegasus easily sidestepped him and a green bolt of plasma burned a hole in the wall next to the bar.

" _ASSAULT OF AN OFFICER IS A CAPITAL OFFENSE!_ " RL-3 stated. " _PERMISSION TO EXECUTE FOR THE ATTEMPT?_ "

"No. was that a warning shot?" Pegasus asked.

" _NEGATIVE I WAS AIMING TO KILL!"_

"I gotta work on your processing then." The hole in the wall also seemed a lot smaller then it should've been. There was probably a lot of work he would need to do on RL-3 to get him truly combat ready again.

Jericho stumbled up, seeing Pegasus's whiskey he gulped it down despite Gob's protest. Giving them all the finger he tumbled out and started shouting for all of Megaton to hear his complaints.

" _WELCOME HOME SIR!"_ Wadsworth greeted. _"MISTRESS CLOVER HAS BEEN MOST ANXIOUS FOR YOUR RETURN."_

"She's not naked is she?" Pegasus sighed.

"Only if you want me to be Lover." Clover replied from the floor. She was wearing a tank top and a 101 suit, the top tied around her waist. She seemed to have just finished organizing all the weapons and ammo they had gotten from helping the Outcasts. "Tell him what we got tin can."

" _IN YOUR POSSESSION IS ONE 10MM SUBMACHINE GUN, FOUR R91 ASSAULT RIFLES, TWO TYPE-17'S, EIGHT SO-CALLED HUNTING RIFLES, AND ONE GAUSS RIFLE. ALONG WITH THAT YOU HAVE 583 10MM ROUNDS, 326 5.56MM ROUNDS, 87 .32 ROUNDS, 13 15MM TITANIUM HOLLOW POINT ROUNDS, FOUR FRAG GRENADES, TWO PULSE GRENADES, TWO TRENCH KNIVES, AND A PARTRIDGE IN A PEAR TREE."_

Plenty of ammo for most guns. The gauss rifle would have to stay, he highly doubted he be able to find titanium in the Wasteland or anyone who could make the bullets. "And armor and supplies?"

Wadsworth seemed flustered that Pegasus didn't laugh. _"TWO SETS OF COMBAT ARMOR COMPLETE WITH HELMET, A MEDICAL KIT WITH SIX STIMPAKS, AND THREE GALLONS OF WATER. THE MAYOR STOPPED BY AND DROPPED OFF A BOX OF VEGETABLES SAYING THAT THEY WERE YOUR SHARE FROM THIS MONTH'S HARVEST."_ Wadsworth stopped when RL-3 floated in. " _YOU ALSO HAVE A NEW TRASHCAN."_

" _WATCH YOUR MOUTH CIVILIAN! SHOWING ANY DISCONTENT WITH ANY PERSON OR THING IN THIS US ARMY IS GROUNDS FOR ARREST!"_ RL-3 said.

" _OH DEAR ME AREN'T I IN TROUBLE? ISN'T MILITARY PROTOCOL TO SHOW PROPER RESPECT TO YOUR COMMANDERS' SERVANTS?"_ Wadsworth asked dryly.

" _UNLESS THEY TURN OUT TO BE COMMUNIST INFILTRATOR BASTARDS! YOU'VE BEEN TAMPERED WITH YOU SOFT METAL JUNK PILE!"_

"Both of you knock it off!" Pegasus looked into the box Lucas had left him, inside were very small carrots, potatoes, and ears of corn. Still better than nothing. heading up to his room, he needed to finish his Vault reports, though he wasn't sure if Amata was ever going to read them. "Clover, start putting stuff away I need to start making reports. RL-3, can I get images out of your memory bank and put them on a terminal?"

" _SIR I AM CAPABLE OF RECONNAISSANCE MISSIONS!_ " RL-3 explained.

" _THAT'S A YES!"_ Wadsworth shouted.

The two robots started to bicker and hearing Clover egging them as she gathered bullets, Pegasus rolled his eyes and shut the door.

"YOU REALLY MEAN IT!"

Moira was jumping up and down in sheer joy at Pegasus words. Glancing at Clover and Moira's guard seemed shocked he was actually helping her. Crow was right, he was haunted by guilt. Perhaps helping out Moira with her project would put him at ease.

"I did make you a promise didn't I?" Smiling at her joy. "So what do you need me to do first?"

"Well I need you to do lots of things for me silly! But the first chapter is called Survive. it's about dealing with the day to day problems in the Wasteland, such as finding food, dealing with radiation, disarming traps. Things like that. So I need you to go the Minefields and prove to me that you can get me some mines! Then I need someone with intense radiation poisoning so I can test out my radiation cure and see if it works, then I need you to go to the Super Duper Mart and find food!"

"And all of this is just the first chapter?" What she was asking for was extremely dangerous. The mines and the market he'd do, the radiation however no way. "Well I can help you out with a couple of those things if you have a recorder?"

"I do!"

Dragging him upstairs that had so many electronic parts that she could've possibly built her own Vault. She got a recorder and started asking him all the questions of how to survive outside in the Wastes, dealing with radiation poisoning among other things. Most of what he told here was things that he'd learned from Mojo and just what he'd picked up by surviving. His medical expertise wasn't as great as his dads however, after two hours of avoiding and dancing around the subject of her radiation cure he finally got here to agree to look at the medical records that he'd gotten from his dad's terminal back in the vault.

"It has extensive details of prolonged radiation exposure and how to deal with it." He promised.

"I'd still would really like to try out that cure of mine though." Moira said sadly. "Though I understand, nobody wants even a teeny, tiny, bit of mutation."

"You should ask a member of the Church of Atom, they stand around in radiation all day." Pegasus suggested.

"That's a great idea! I can't believe that I never thought of that!" Moira jumped up pulling him to his feet. "I'll go ask the church for a volunteer, and you go get your dad's medical records! Oh boy I'm going to has so much fun working on this!"

"Why you dragging us into this crazy woman's plans Lover?" Clover whispered.

" _I CONCUR WITH OFFICER CLOVER. I BELIEVE THAT THIS SURVIVAL GUIDE SHOULD BE LEFT TO THE CIVILIAN GOVERNMENT!"_ Rl-3 shouted.

"Quite shouting. Think of it as reconnaissance. We need to know what's out there and Moira is going to make the report."

"The only thing out there is death." Clover muttered.

" _SO MOIRA'S GOING TO MAKE A TACTICAL PLAN AGAINST DEATH? A MOST EXCELLENT IDEA COMMANDER! IF THE USA CAN FIND A WAY TO BEAT DEATH, THEN WE'D BE IN A STRATEGIC STRONGPOINT TO CONQUER THE REDS!"_

Pegasus laughed, even Clover shook her head in faint amusement. Rl-3 was proving to be worth the money for all the wrong reasons. Walking passed the Brass Lantern, hearing a faint struggle like someone trying to fight off another. A loud crash inside told him what he needed to know.

"Go get Simms." He told Clover.

Inside was nearly empty, everyone had been going to the Tavern for drinks. A table had been turned over, finding Jericho wrestling with Jenny Strahl, the top of her jumpsuit was ripped open.

"Come on, I know you've been looking at me." Jericho husked.

Jenny tried to fight him off put Jericho was too strong for her. Pegasus grabbed him by the collar and tossed him into the bar.

"Oh asshole! Come to ruin my fun again?" He slurred trying to get up.

"Are you alright?" Pegasus asked helping Jenny up. Her glare to Jericho would stop a super-mutant.

"You fuck! I going to enjoy watching Simms put a bullet through your head!" She shouted, breathing raggedly.

Jericho tried to aim his gun at them but was so drunk that his nearly dropped it. Pegasus pulled the gun from his hands and hit him with the butt of the rifle dropping Jericho to his knees.

"Alright what's going on here?" A familiar friendly drawl said.

"The bastard tried to rape me! Kill him!" Jenny screamed.

"I stopped him." Pegasus added.

Lucas adjusted his cowboy hat and sighed at the pathetic sight of Jericho. "Ever since Moriarty retired you've been acting a fool Jericho. Now you've gone too far."

"I've gone too far! That little punk was the one who killed Moriarty and you know it! Where the fucks your justice lawman? Now that you're the only big shot he's allowed to come and go as he pleases?" Jericho tried to get up but fell back down grabbing a glass and trying to drink, it shattered against the wall when he found I contained nothing. "Pegasus's the best fucking raider here! In a day he managed to do more damage to me then I could do to myself in years!"

"My justice doesn't extend outside these walls, Moriarty knew that and so do you Jericho, so don't try that shit with me." Lucas said. "You got a choice now Jericho, either I hang you for attempted rape or you go into exile."

"Fucking just hang me! Can't even got back to the life because of him!" Jericho shouted. "Eulogy put a fucking price on my head! Might as well turn me in and get the reward!" Puking on the floor he rolled in his own vomit.

The pitiful sight of Jericho rolling in his filth made all of them look at each other in shared pity, even Jenny looked shocked at how low her would be rapist really was. "I got an idea Lucas." Pegasus said.

"Fucking slow down asshole." Jericho whimpered, stumbling to keep up with the three.

"You didn't slow down when I had a mentat migraine, so why should I slow down when you have a hangover?" Mocked Pegasus.

The four where heading to the Minefield. Jericho had been banned from ever returning to Megaton on pain of death, with nowhere else to go Jericho had taken Pegasus on his offer to follow him wherever he went until Jericho found a new place to call his home.

"Yeah well you all are young; I'm an old cocker so show some respect!" Jericho spat.

"Never heard of an old raider before. What you send others to do your dirty work?" Clover asked.

"Pretty much, they all died and I got the rewards."

" _THAT IS COWARDICE TO THE POINT IF COURT-MARTIAL AND EXECUTION! COMMANDER WE SHOULD TIE UP THIS DESERTER AND SUMMERY EXECUTE HIM!"_ RL-3 stated.

"We're not doing any of that." Pegasus answered. Looking at Mojo's old maps they should've been heading in the right direction. The Minefield was north past Paradise Falls, though they were going east to put distance between them and that place. The Wasteland seemed to be the dry desert everywhere, abandoned hollowed out cars, decayed desolate building ad blackened plants as mockery to the once thriving life that he'd seen before. In the distance there was several metal towers that looked like signs of civilization, possibly another Megaton.

"That's the junkyard. Nothing there but junk." Jericho said.

"Who would have thought that?" Clover mocked.

"Both of you knock it off, we're going there. Might be something useful for us to salvage." Pegasus said.

"what we're salvagers now as well as heroes?" said Clover sarcastically.

"I thought we were just bums on the road." added Jericho.

Ignoring them both, Pegasus felt that wandering the Wastelands with these two in tow was going to make it a long journey indeed. The junkyard was exactly that, piles of crushed up cars and metal containers along with garbage of the pre-war civilization littered the entire area. It was truly surprising that all this had been left untouched over the years to him.

"We can rest here, get our bearing then get- "Pegasus was interrupted by gunshots and screaming.

Running towards the gunshots ignoring the others protests. rounding passed a pile of crushed cars to find several dead bodies, a dog on top of one with its fangs in the throat of a dying man.

Pegasus aimed Wanda, tempted to shoot the thing after his last encounter with dogs. Something about this one was different though, it was well fed, not a patch of missing fur on it, it made him think of images of husky's playing in the snow. It looked up at him curiously, seeing that it's eyes where mismatched, one brown one blue, it slowly started to walk towards him. feeling curious himself, lowering his gun he walked towards the dog. It sat down at his feet when close enough and though blood was on its fur and mouth, Pegasus reached out and pet it. It whimpered in joy at the touch.

"What are you doing out here on your own?" Pegasus asked gently. He felt quite foolish, there was no way the dog could answer him. he'd had had a pet radroach once when he was a child, he'd spoken softly to it though it grossed Amata out. Finding a lather collar around the neck, it had been branded with a single word: 'Dogmeat.'

"Oh man don't tell me you going around picking up strays?" Jericho asked from behind.

"he picked you up didn't he?" Joked Clover.

The dog saw them and bit at the legging of his pants, trying to drag him somewhere. When he moved, Dogmeat ran behind a dumpster where a merchant had been shot. Finding that the man was dead, Dogmeat rested their head on the corpses and whimpered.

"Old owner Dogmeat?" Pegasus asked. Dogmeat looked sad at his words. Looking over the bodies of the raiders, he saw that all of them had torn throats and bite marks on their bodies. Dogmeat had managed to kill three raiders without a scratch. "Hey, you wanna come with us?"

Dogmeat perked up at his words. Seeming to decide whether to stay with their old master or choose a new one, finally getting off the dead body and coming over to him.

"Good Boy!" He said petting Dogmeat.

"It's a girl." Jericho corrected. "Great, now I'm hanging with two bitches I can't fuck or kill."

Dogmeat bared her teeth at Jericho for the insult.

"Careful bitch, you nothing but emergency food!"

Pegasus doubted that he was ever going to eat this dog, it had already proven to be smarter and more vicious then Jericho.

" _SCANNING SIR! DETECTING 78 LANDMINES IN A 50-YARD RADIUS."_

The Minefield as it was called was nothing like he'd pictured, he figuring that it would be nothing more than a Wasteland version of the minefield in the Anchorage Simulation. Not a small town that looked like a replica of the past. Dogmeat growled as if warning of danger. The only danger he could see was all the landmines that he could see. The landmines where the exact same form the simulation however, all he had to do was get close, wait for the beep and hit the button.

Though unlike the simulation, he couldn't just grow back any missing limbs this time. Approaching with caution, he really didn't want to be blown up again. The red light beeped loudly and he rushed forward to hit the button. It clicked then nothing more.

Breathing a sigh of relief. He started forward to get another, these things could be worth a lot of caps.

"Hey can we go now?" Jericho said anxiously after a few minutes. "A lot of people have died here."

Hearing the sounds of bullets piercing the metal haul of an abandoned car next to him, seeing it spark he ran back for cover. The explosion behind him knocked him off his feet.

" _SIR ENEMY SNIPER DETECTED!"_ Rl-3 shouted.

"Next time let me know that before I go in!" Pegasus shouted, his ears ringing from the explosion. The car had been a bomb; someone must've packed it full of explosives to have exploded like that. or pre-war cars were just that volatile.

"Shit! It's Him! We need to go!" Jericho shouted.

"You've got to be kidding!" Clover added.

"Who the hell is he?" Pegasus demanded

"Arkansas!" they said in unison.

Shattered concrete and dust filled the air as bullets hit the ground around him. Arkansas was giving them a warning and Pegasus wasn't about to argue with him. The five ran away as bullets hit the ground behind them. Getting out of range from sniper fire they all caught their breath, Jericho vomited on the ground.

"Something you forgot to mention?" Pegasus gasped. Looking at the six landmines he managed to get. "Why the hell didn't either one of you warn me about him!?"

"I didn't know he was still alive Lover." Clover said.

"You didn't ask." Jericho answered wiping his mouth. "Besides how the hell was I supposed to know he was still kicking? The fucker's older than me."

"Who is he?" Pegasus asked looking back at the abandoned town.

"Some escaped slave. I met him once back when I was a raider working for Penelope Chase. Bastard killed eight people during the escape. Put out a tale that the minefield was inhabited by a bunch of pacifist pussy's. Then shot and killed everyone who came."

"And you didn't tell me this because!?"

"Shit that was years ago! Figured the old fuck kneeled over or left by now. Should've figured he didn't if all those mines are still here."

"Eulogy was always complaining about him." Clover added. "Always said that Arkansas was the reason he wasn't in charge years ago. Always blamed him and someone named Mojo for causing all kinds of problems for his business. told me he put a bounty of 1500 caps on his head."

"Shit, might just hunt him down and get the price off my head." Jericho muttered.

"You can always go back." Pegasus smiled pointing over his shoulder. He wondered if his name would be spoken with hatred by Eulogy? He wondered if Eulogy had already figured out who he was and put a bounty on his head? He was curious just how big it was?

Bullets rang against the dumpster while Pegasus laid down suppressing fire. Clover popped up next to him and fired her own weapon. The battle was to the sounds of _Yankee doodle_ to a floating eyebot next to the waters.

"Why're helping this crazy woman again?" Clover asked over the sounds of gunshots.

"Cause it's a good deed." Pegasus answered ducking down as the two raiders approached. The sounds of growling, automatic fire and a plasma caster going off followed by silence.

" _FLANKING POSITIONS ACHIEVED COMMANDER! THREAT NEUTRALIZED!"_

They were at the entrance to the Super-Duper Mart. Rl-3 had detected several people within and without the building. Jericho had guessed raiders but Pegasus hadn't wanted to take the chance and scare innocent wastelanders, but was cautious enough to split his team.

Jericho had been right. "What the hell did I tell ya? You should've listened to me."

"I did listen to you. We just didn't shoot first." Answered Pegasus.

"So we kill everyone in there. Take their stuff and sell it to Megaton for a profit right?" Jericho asked eagerly.

"No. we go in there, look for any food and medicine like Moira asked. And shoot anyone who tries to kill us." Pegasus corrected.

"You better get used to his hero nonsense. He never lets up." Clover warned Jericho.

"Great, so we're all going to die now?"

"You two sound like you're going to best the best of friends." Pegasus told them before going in.

The moment all five of them were inside they were getting shot at again. The inside of the super-duper mart was still mostly intact, other than the aisles had been converted into makeshift catwalks for the raiders. They split again into two firing as they took anything for cover. Clover and Pegasus jumped over a counter that had once been the butchery, the counter was thick and gave them good cover. Shooting several of the raiders perched on the catwalks. the gunshots became erratic and the screams became filed with panic. The sounds of an explosion and the painful screams of a woman, finally after only a minute everything was silent.

Seven had been killed inside. The explosion had been a grenade one of the raiders tried to throw, a giant hole between two aisles and charred pieces of flesh were all that remained. Clover and Pegasus had both been hit; there old combat armor was cracked but still useful. Dogmeat and Jericho had come out unscathed as did Rl-3 though his plasma caster was at 8%.

" _A GLORIOUS VICTORY FOR THE USA!"_ RL-3 shouted.

"yeah. Keep an eye out, let us know if anyone is coming." Pegasus ordered.

The butchery had been converted into their own weapons storage, most were worn guns, most likely gotten from previous victims. Pegasus found one that caught his eye; an AEP7 laser pistol. He never thought he'd ever see one of these things in his lifetime. This thing could do the same damage that eyebot did to Slag. But with a little tuning he could turn the laser into an electromagnetic pulse, disabling any robots like protectrons.

"Hey you said Moira was looking for places where people would be able to find food right? She ever think to looking in the fridge?" Jericho asked pulling out a bundle of frozen meat.

"That's not human is it?" Pegasus asked.

"Nah, Brahmin."

The greatest treasure however was in the back pharmacy. Finding bloodied bandages and boxes of ancient med kits filled with medicine and surgical tools. All of it guarded by a nonfunctioning protectron. A terminal was on and active, it looked as though the raiders had been trying to get the thing to work properly. Hooking his pip-boy and Rl-3 up to the terminal, he found the missing program and inputted new commands of his own into the protectron and rebooted it.

" _CALCULATING: 76536 DAYS SINCE LAST REBOOT. UPDATING NEW COMMANDS: RELOCATE TO MEGATON: FILE REPORT TO MAYOR LUCAS SIMMS: OFFER OWNERSHIP TO MOIRA BROWN."_ The Protectron stated.

"You're giving that crazy broad a robot? You nuts?!" Jericho said.

"She could use it." Pegasus said. "Come on this thing's just going to follow its programming we need to make sure it gets there."

" _COMMANDER IF YOU WISH I CAN ASSUME COMMAND OF THIS ROBOT! MY MILITARY PROGRAMMING MAKES ME CAPABLE OF COMMANDING A SQUADRON OF METAL UNITS!"_ RL-3 suddenly added.

"These are things I wish to know beforehand." Pegasus muttered. "Do it. And what's the range of your ability to command these things?"

" _120-YARD DIAMETER FORM MY CURRENT POSITION. AFTER THAT THEY WILL FOLLOW THE LAST COMMAND GIVEN TO THEM- SIR SOMEONE HAS ENTERED THE STORE!"_

"Hello! I saw you kill the bandits here you gotta help me!" The voice was extremely young, most likely a child.

"Come in the back where we can see you!" Pegasus shouted.

A scrawny, malnourished looking child with covered in dirt and smoot panted up to them. "Please you gotta help me! The monsters are burning everything my dad's in trouble! Please you gotta help me!"

Get the hell out of here kid, this ain't no charity!" Jericho shouted.

Clover rolled her eyes, she knew what was about to happen.

"What's your name?" Pegasus asked.

"Bryan Wilks. Please- "

"Bryan, lead the way. Rl-3 set the protectron on a course to Megaton."

Bryans face lit up that Pegasus was going to help him. "Come on we need to get to Greyditch!"

Outside smoke was bellowing from the nearby ruins. As they headed towards the smoke, Pegasus noticed that the eyebot hovering over the water seemed to be looking at them.


	19. Chapter 19 Voice of The Enclave

Greyditch looked like it just been firebombed. Several of the buildings where on fire, the fire burned on the outside on the concrete walls. Curious, Pegasus took a closer look, whatever it was that was causing the fire seemed to be some sort of chemical mixture.

"Alright I've never seen anything like this shit before. What the hell you talking about by monsters' kid? Super mutants?" Asked Jericho.

"No. these things are fire breathing ant monsters!" Bryan answered.

"There's no such thing kid." Clover said. "You've read too many comics."

"What do you call all this then?" Pegasus asked. Jericho and Clover may have been living out here their entire lives and think they've seen it all. If there was something that he'd learned ever since leaving the Vault, was to not assume you've seen everything.

" _DETECTING SEVERAL CREATURES OF UNKNOWN ORGANS IN THE VICINITY OF OUR POSITION!"_ RL-3 suddenly shouted. _"APPROACHING NORTH, NORTH EAST, AND THE WEST!"_

They each aimed in those directions. Dogmeat bared her teeth and barked viciously. A familiar scurrying sounds started to become louder and louder. From the ally a bright red ant started approaching, a warrior from the size of it.

"just a giant ant. Looks like we're eating good tonight." Jericho cockily said taking aim.

The ant seemed to take a deep breath, and a jet of flame erupted from it mandibles. They all jumped away from the flames. Pegasus's right arm however had ben caught in the jet. The fire burned through the cloth and he felt his skin start to blister. Shoving his am into the dirt, feeling a small bliss as the flames were smothered.

Jericho and Clover were firing wildly at the fire ants, seemingly shocked that Bryan hadn't been making it all up. More ants started to come out of the buildings. Dogmeat stayed next to Pegasus to protect him from danger. Rl-3 fired wildly with his plasma caster and scored a hit.

The fire ant exploded. Whatever chemical component that was inside of it caused it to blow up. the chemical compound sprayed everywhere as though an incendiary grenade had gone off.

"Watch it you piece of junk!" Jericho shouted patting away at a small bit of flame that landed on him.

" _I DON'T NEED TO APOLOGIZE TO CRIMINAL PRISONERS! I BET YOU'RE IN LEAGUE WITH THESE COMMUNIST MONSTROSITIES!"_

Gritting his teeth in frustration. Pegasus got back up and used his pistol to continue fighting. Finally, the scurrying stopped, and only the sounds of crackling fire could be heard.

"You gotta hurry my dad's this way!" Bryan shouted leading them to a burned up building.

Inside there were several more fire ants tearing apart the building looking for food, and a very burnt up corpse. killing the ants, Pegasus knew that they were too late.

"Dad." Bryan whimpered kneeling at the charred corpse. "He told me to run when I heard the scream. I just wanted-"

He sopped over the corpse. the building was getting smoky, staying here would be a death sentence. Dragging the crying Bryan away from the corpse and house.

"Your dad wouldn't want you to die in there." Pegasus tried to comfort the crying boy. The feeling of dread like telling Lucy west about her family, what did you say to such a loss?

"Kid stop your sobbing. You're not the only one who lost people." Jericho chided. "There anyone else in this pisshole?"

"Yes." Wiping the soot from his face, Bryan's eyes burned in hatred to Jericho. "Doctor Lesko, the egghead my dad called him, and Mr. Brandice and his son Frank. I think Franks' dead but their place is right there." Bryan pointed to the building across the street.

"Jericho, Rl-3, try to find this egghead. Clover, we're going to Brandice place."

The Brandice place hadn't caught on fire. in the kitchen was one of the fire ants that looked to be cut open. It appeared that Brandice had ben dissecting one of them. Several organs had been put on the counter. The surgical tools that he'd been using we're well maintained not like the old charred tools Church used. The med kit even had several stimpaks, though the syringe was made out of a black material he'd never seen before, there was also jars of homemade ointment that read 'for burns'.

Rubbing the ointment into his arm Pegasus felt instant relief. Injecting a stimpak, Whoever Brandice was, he was quite the skilled chemist. Upstairs was even more shocking. A microfusion cell, something that no wastelander should have, turned out to be powering the entire house. A working terminal was in the master bedroom with an overturned chair.

The last entry was from several hours ago. A detailed report on the finds of the dissections. Brandice was quite the doctor and scientist, him and his dad would've gotten along just fine. the rest of the files looked to be more of a personal journal then a medical one. Intrigued by the one dated last year.

 _I was scavenging some of the near buildings for junk to sell and came across a working radio. No sooner did I turn it on than I heard the familiar patriotic anthems they used to play whenever Richardson would give a speech. But this was different. Who the hell is President Eden? When did that happen? Are they on this coast too? Most importantly, will they come looking for me?  
I hope this journey wasn't a huge mistake._

"Lover, the bed." Clover said.

"I don't think this is the proper time for the that Clover." Pegasus absently said. Brandice said the patriotic music was familiar, but said that it was from the other side of America. If the Enclave tunes were familiar, did the Enclave truly cover coast to coast? And this Richardson was president? If he was Eden's predecessor, that would mean the enclave was at least four years old, if they followed the presidential electoral process.

"Lover!"

He saw where she was pointing, an eyebot was hovering outside the window looking in on them. Pegasus shut off the terminal and it floated away.

"Rl-3, anyone or anything listening in on us talk right now?" Pegasus asked hooking the new microfusion cell to the plasma caster. They were all on the streets, not a fire ant or the eyebot in sight.

" _SIR THERE ARE NO KNOWN HOSTILES IN THE VICINITY AS OF THIS MOMENT!"_ Rl-3 stated. " _THE YOUNG CIVILIAN IS IN A PRIVATION CHAMBER AS WE SPEAK. PRISONER JERICHO TOLD THE CIVILIAN TO HIDE UNTIL SAFE TO COME OUT."_

"Which is never at this rate." Jericho said. "Found out where the fuck these things are coming from. Apparently the egghead was doing some science shit to some normal ants and made them the fire breathing fuckers they are now."

"You figured all this out on yourself?" Clover asked sounding impressed.

"Hacked into his terminals." Jericho said proudly. "They were password protected but got nothing on me."

" _THE RECORDER CONTAINING THE PASSWORD WAS RIGHT NEXT TO THE TERMINAL. YOU HAD SUCH A HARD TIME READING THE ENTRIES OF DR. LESKO YOU HAD ME TRANSLATE THE ENGLISH TRANSCRIPTS FOR YOU, ILLITERATE COMMUNIST!"_ Rl-3 said.

"Fuck you tin can!" Jericho said over the Clover's laughter. "The eggheads somewhere in the Marigold Metro Station. And I can read good by the way."

"You can read well or just fine." Pegasus corrected. "We better go put a stop to eggheads' science experiment. No telling what amount of damage these things will cause."

Stopping by Dr. Lesko's to find something personal with his scent on it. He'd only ever seen this used in crime reels, but knew that dogs could be trained to find people by scent.

"Can you find this person Dogmeat?" Pegasus asked holding out an old lab coat. Her ears perked up and she ran off towards the metro station.

Catching up to her, the metro station reeked of chemicals, the temperature was hotter than any other metro station though it was pitch black. Dogmeat barked in the distance, echoing throughout the tunnels. The scurrying sounds of many ants started to drown out her barks.

Turning on his pip-boy light, Pegasus took point. "Let's go!"

Streams of fire started to illuminate the rest of the tunnels. Worker ants started crawling out of the trains crevasses. many carrying bones of the dead. At least a dozen where shooting flames at them. Moving and firing their weapons, the entire entrance where they came seemed to have been engulfed in flames.

"Anyone hurt?" Pegasus asked sweating profusely.

"A little cooked but alright." Jericho answered.

"I'm hot." Clover complained

"I've seen better."

Dogmeat's barking was a welcome diversion from their bickering. The metro tunnels started to get much bright, the sunlight was coming in through several holes in the ceiling and from a tunnel ahead. Dogmeat's outlined would be seen, she was running in a circle trying to get their attention.

"Rl-3 you detect anything?"

" _NEGATIVE COMMANDER! ONLY YOUR SCOUT DOG."_

Dogmeat barked and whimpered at a dead body. The body was behind a locked gate, a 10mm pistol next to him and blood splattered the walls behind him. the man had shot himself when trapped.

"Is this Dr. Lesko?" Pegasus asked looking at the man. Dogmeat whimpered and rubbed her head against his leg.

"So what if it is? You really think the egghead can somehow solve a fire pest problem? I say the Wasteland just got more dangerous is all." Jericho said.

"I didn't hope he'd be able to stop this. I just hoped we'd be able to save him." Pegasus answered.

"There ain't no 'we' just you. You the idiot playing hero for no good reason. What you aiming to get out of all this punk?"

"I've been trying to figure that out myself." Clover said.

"well nobody asked you bitch! You were much better back when you were Eulogy's pet. Didn't talk so goddamn much."

"Jericho don't ever fucking say that shit again!" Pegasus wheeled around to continue yelling. Stopping when he found himself staring at the eyebot. The sounds of fire and their own talking had covered the sounds of its gentle hums.

"Don't shoot it!" Pegasus ordered them when they started raising their guns. "Rl-3 why didn't you warn us of that things approach?"

" _SIR YOU TOLD ME TO WARN YOU OF ANY APPROACHING ENEMIES. THIS IS BROADCASTING ON A GOVERNMENT SIGNAL, SIGNIFYING AS FRIENDLY."_ Rl-3 explained.

"Let me know when friendlies are approaching to!" Pegasus eyed the eyebot. It hovered passed them, seemingly ignoring then. It seemed to scan the dead body before turning towards them.

" _this is your president. John Henry Eden."_ The Eyebot said just like all the openings to Enclave Radio. _"thank you for helping us locate the deserter."_ The eyebot turned around and started floating away.

"Wait!" Pegasus shouted. This was the first time he'd ever heard of the Enclave trying to communicate with anyone in the Wasteland. He didn't want to miss this chance. "Tell me who you are! Who's the Enclave!"

Surprisingly the eyebot turned around. _"Why I'm the president of the commonwealth of America. The Enclave is America and so I am your president."_ John henry Eden replied. _"You are that Vault member that tried to talk to me several weeks ago if I remember correctly? Asking about the other one, I believe that his name is James correct?"_

"I never told you that."

" _No you didn't. the local disk jockey did."_ Eden said. _"Though I don't much care for his slander towards the Enclave. I do appreciate his up to datedness on the comings and goings of the wasteland."_

"You've been saying the same damn shit for years, why you talking different now?" Jericho asked.

" _Most interesting meeting wanderers from the Vault."_ Eden said ignoring Jericho. _"I assumed that that the true people of America would be enjoying the safety and security from one of the governments longest lasting programs. I hate to see your blood spilt, you should head back home."_

"I couldn't even if I wanted to." Pegasus answered. "And what about them?" Pegasus indicated his allies. "You afraid to see their blood spilt?"

" _Ah the radiated slavers and raiders of the capital wasteland. You should watch what company you keep 101. Their filth might rub off on you."_

"They're still the people of America. Why aren't you helping them?"

" _Well I am helping the people."_ Eden chuckled. " _It just takes time. Soon we'll be able to make America great again for all the true Americans in the Commonwealth."_

"You didn't answer my question: What are you doing to help? I've seen people trying to help with nothing more than a gun and an idea. You seem to have the ability to make eyebots' and broadcasts radio signals across the entire Capital Wasteland! God knows what else and all you do is make empty promises. So what are you doing to help?"

" _COMMANDER YOU SHOULD NOT TAKE SUCH AN INSUBORDINATE TONE WITH THE PRESIDENTS OF THE COMMONWEALTH!"_ Rl-3 shouted.

" _An RL unit? I thought all of them were destroyed during the great war? How wonderful!"_ Eden said.

Rl-3 suddenly twitched and painfully screamed, his voice distorted by the overlapping voice of Eden.

" _GLORY TO THE USA! PRESIDENT EDEN WILL LEAD AMERICA TO A NEW GLORIOUS DAWN! LONG LIVE AMERICA, AND LONG LIVE THE ENCLAVE!"_

Pegasus shot they eyebot out of the air. the smoking carcass stopped talking and reeked of electrical fire.

" _WHAT, WHERE AM I?"_ Rl-3 said looking around _. "COMMANDER, I REMEMBER SAYING THINGS THAT I AM NOT PROGRAMMED TO SAY! A COMMUNIST TRIED TO TAKE MY SYSTEMS OVER! I RECOMMEND SHUTTING ME DOWN UNTIL MY SYSTEM CAN BE REBOOTED! THEN LET ME FIND THE COMMUNIST SON-OF-A BITCH AND TURN THEM INTO PASTE!"_

"That's a good idea Rl-3, but one thing at a time." Pegasus said. "Dogmeat, find Lesko!"

Dogmeat ran down the tunnels, the fire ants seemed to gathering again for another assault. Dogmeat jumped away from a warriors' fire and bit its antenna before running down the tracks. The warrior went berserk, attacking even its fellow ants, forcing them to kill it's renegade. The humans didn't mind, it saved them some bullets.

Dogmeat was barking at an old storage unit. Forcing the door opened to a well-lit laboratory. Microscopes, operating table, nearly everything a scientist could ever ask for.

"Please don't shoot me!" A wheezy voice pleaded. A man with a bad comb over with thick glasses and a lab coat for too large for him pleaded. "I really didn't mean for any of this to happen!"

"Well too bad. Goodbye!" Jericho raised his rifle. Pegasus forced it back down and slapped him across the face.

"RL-3, if Jericho makes any hostile move without my permission shoot him."

" _WITH PLEASURE COMMANDER!"_

"Oh come on! I thought you shot anyone that you have a problem with!" Jericho complained.

"Only when they shoot at me." He lied. The image of pushing Roy off the balcony forced its way into his head. "Dr. Lesko, or egghead as Bryan calls you, how the hell did you make literal fire ants?"

"Well I was attempting to generationally reduce the immense stature of the ants by way of pre-birth induced mutagens." Lesko shakily answered.

"And by messing with the genetic codes of the mutated ants, instead of shrinking them you added a fire breathing gene?" Pegasus said skeptically.

"I never thought I'd meet a fellow scientist in this godforsaken backwater!" Lesko said cheerfully. "Yes, I'm sure you understand that there are so many different codes in DNA and RNA, that one misstep and you can introduce an entirely new characteristic into a creature and successive generations! Unfortunately, in this case, it was breathing fire as you said."

"Why aren't you a charred corpse or ant food?" Clover asked.

"Well I've managed to develop a pheromone that masks my presence to the ants. I'm surprised that your dog even found me. Oh, that was you guys shooting out there wasn't it?"

"How'd you guess?" Jericho sneered. "You gonna shoot me for that can opener?"

" _SARCASM DOES NOT COUNT AS HOSTILE ACT UNLESS DONE TO A RANKING OFFICER OR GOVERNMENT VIP!"_ RL-3 stated. _"BEING A COMMUNIST IS STILL GROUNDS FOR EXECUTION THOUGH!"_

"So you took a look and Dogmeat managed to track your scent." Pegasus figured scratching Dogmeat's ears.

"Apparently so." Lesko said. "Though this could be blessing in disguise! You see the fire ants haven't managed to move passed Greyditch, and I've discovered several other genetic frequencies inside the ants that make them unique! These ants will respond to a certain frequency of sound that will send them into a frenzy, they'd all kill each other!"

"So why haven't you sent out the signal?" Pegasus asked.

"I need to protect the queen! She's the key to my work, sending the signal out now would mean the ant the colony would tear her apart as well!" Lesko sat down at his terminal. "Luckily though I've come prepared for such actions; though I'm not in any position to use my preparations."

"What did you do and what do you need?" Pegasus rolled his eyes. What was he getting into this time?

"Simple, my protectron is monitoring the queen right now. Unfortunately, it's in standby mode until I can insert the programming and pheromone distributer to prevent her from being torn apart by her colony. So I need one of you to go down there and do it for me."

They all looked at each other, even Dogmeat seemed to turn her head at the insanity of Lesko's plan.

"Alright." Pegasus sighed.

"You out your fucking mind! I ain't going in no ant hive!" Jericho shouted.

"I'm not asking you to do it Jericho." Pegasus explained. "it's not fair to ask Clover to do it either, and I need Rl-3 around to make sure you don't do anything stupid. Got any more of those pheromones?"

"Yes I do." Lesko aid taking out a vial. "I would do it myself, but with how many of them are down there I'm just too scared." Pulling out an old headset. "I can walk you through the steps when you're down there."

"Lover you don't have to do this. You've already done enough, let's just go." Clover pleaded.

"These things make it out passed Greyditch, you think the Capital Wasteland will be able to deal with them? I know you think I'm just playing the hero again, and you're partially right. If you have trouble with that then think of it as a long term investment."

"For What?" laughed Clover.

"Making it safe to walk in the open."

She pulled at her collar. "I'll go if you told me Lover."

"I'm not going to. Besides, do you know how to reprogram a protectron?"

" _Testing testing. Can you hear me Pegasus?"_ Lesko asked through the radio.

"Loud and clear egghead. Over." Pegasus answered moving towards a light source.

" _Alright now all you've got to do is follow the lights and come to the royal chamber. You'll see my protectron and terminal. Then reprogram it and put the pheromones in its dispenser. Easy!"_

Sounds of hundreds of moving insect legs echoed through the cavern chambers. Passed the first light dozens of worker ants moved along expanding the chambers, carrying food and moving their larva. All of them ignored him as he approached.

"Easy for you to say." He muttered as one of the fire ants moved passed him like he was an object. Once again he was wondering why the hell he was doing this? Cause nobody else would was the only answer.

Moving slowly passed the ants, jumping when one used their fie breath to expand a section of the cave. they were adapting quick to their new gift, these things we're breeding and expanding rapidly. fighting the normal ants had been bad enough.

Quickening his step, the lights ended to a large chamber illuminated in the room was a wandering protectron, and a desk with a terminal. The back wall hosted the largest ant he'd ever seen, longer then car, its large belly looked white and raw from giving birth to so many ants so quickly, and even more larva fresh larva was put into another corner.

The queen seemed to notice him and several of the other ants seemed to move dangerously close to him.

"Lesko, they're getting too close for comfort." He whispered.

" _Don't panic! You'll release hormones' that will disrupt the local ant pheromones camouflaging you!"_ Lesko answered.

"Thanks for the warning ahead of time!"

"Don't get angry either!"

He as just glad that Lesko's terminal wasn't password protected. Entering the codes, and using the return command on the protectron. The Protectrons laser rifle had been converted into the pheromone dispenser. Changing the empty vial with a new one, the protectron went over and started spraying.

Though scary, it seemed like the task was easier done then said. Hitting finish, his ears started to ring, and the ants let out a horrifying shriek and fire sprayed all round like he had just entered hell.

The ants next to him started to attack one another, tearing each other apart and covering one another in flames. The entire colony but the royal chamber was in the same state. Jumping and weaving passed the killer ants, dodging their napalm like flames. The final light was close, a fire ant much larger than any other warriors stood in his way. Firing several shots with his pistol, the ant let out a stream of fire. the flames missed him but hit the ants that where behind him, with no choice he rushed forward firing his gun hitting the warrior in the antenna.

If the ants were gong cray now, this one went completely berserk. It spread fire over the cavern walls up to the ceiling, circling as and smashing its mandibles into anything that it could bite. Leaping over the frenzied ant, it didn't chase him but let off one more burst of lame that got him in the back.

He fell into the labs on fire. cold smoke filed his lungs and he nearly choked. Clover, Rl-3 and Dogmeat were all next to him patting out the flames. Jericho was busy laughing at the sight.

"You actually did it! and came back alive!" Lesko shouted, a fire extinguisher in his hands.

"Why didn't you wait for me to get back, before making them go berserk!" Pegasus shouted.

"I accidently left it on standby mode. Sorry." Lesko said simply.

"You almost killed me! Because of your neglect the only person left in Greyditch is Bryan!"

"Some die today, the mutagen is improved, many more will live. A small price to pay for science." Lesko said haughtily.

It was so tempting to shoot him for that answer. Breathing slowly trying to calm down, he had to look at it the long term. Lesko was the only one who could stop these ants from spreading, killing him would only make the Wasteland worse. In a roundabout way, Pegasus found himself agreeing with Lesko's words.

"You need to make amends for what you did." Pegasus said, disgusted at both Lesko and himself. "How are you going to help Bryan?"

"I'm not doing anything for that boy. Too much a busybody, always pestering me, why do you think most of my work is down here?" Lesko said. His arrogance faltered at Pegasus glare. "Well I'm sure he has family somewhere else, I think his father once talked about having a sister in Rivet City. You should ask him."

"Damn I've never seen anyone give a death glare like that before." Jericho said patting him. "Made you look like a devil with the smoke coming off you."

Ignoring Jericho's joke, his armor had been charred and from the previous gunfights was starting to crack. Two-hundred-eleven years this thing sat in storage, and not even three days out it was closed to needing replaced. Leaving Lesko to his work they need to get back to Bryan and then to Megaton, he'd let Bryan stay at his home until he could find another place.

Outside the lab was just as bad as the colony. The metro tunnels were alight in flames, the bodies of the fire ants were strewn everywhere and the ones still standing where tearing each other apart. The way to Bryan was blocked by walls of flame and warrior ants.

"Think you just roasted a kid there Peggy!" Jericho shouted looking at the carnage.

With the way blocked, they ran for the only other exit. As they approached the light at the end of the tunnel, gunshots and familiar bestial shouting greeted them passed the light.


	20. Chapter 20 A Place Where Flowers Bloom

The bestial screams and gunfire were becoming far too familiar to him. Taking cover behind a train, Pegasus looked for the super mutants.

"What the hell man! We just got out of the fire!" Jericho loudly complained.

"And jumped into the frying pan. At least you're saying this isn't so bad." Pegasus joked. Though regretting it from the confused looks on Clover and Jericho's face.

The gunshots where coming from the east of the trains, from the west came several laser blasts. Two people in dull grey power armor moved forward, one carrying a laser rifle, the other what looked to be a flamethrower. On the other end, three super mutants, each carrying a hunting rifle marched forward firing. Another carried a piece of rebar with a slab of concrete on it was rushing towards the armored humans.

Pegasus got out of cover and unloaded all of Wanda into the mutants' chest. It stopped and shrugged off the bullets and looked even more pissed. It tried to crush him with the rebar club, RL-3 used what little bit of flame it still had and tried to force the mutant away. The heat burned its eyes, it starting swinging wildly until smashing the front of a train getting hooked. Clover ran up to it with her shotgun and shoved it in the things mouth and pulled the trigger taking the top of its head off.

"Fuck it!" Jericho shouted firing his own rifle at the mutants.

With the attention diverted between two groups, the mutants started to get picked off. most of the small arms they seemed to just shrug off, the laser rifle and plasma caster however seemed to be doing the most damage. The laser rifle left smoking holes in their chests while every hit from the plasma caster slowly turned their flesh into a yellowish goo. After the firefight, all that were left were smoking husks of melting mutants.

"Thanks for your assist strangers." The one with the flamethrower said. As he approached, Pegasus saw a white symbol painted on the armor, gears with wings, with a sword in the middle.

"Oh fuck me. What the fuck's the Brotherhood of Steel doing way the hell out here!" Gasped Jericho.

"Thank them and let's go Lover." Clover hissed in his ear. "They find out about the Outcast and we're dead!"

"Then don't say anything." He whispered back.

"I am paladin Hoss. May I ask what three strangers, a robot, and a faithful canine are doing way out here?" the Paladin asked taking off his helmet, a man in his thirties, with short hair, he looked grimly at them.

"I could ask the same about the Brotherhood. We just escaped form a very angry ant colony. yourself?"

"On a recon mission to find some lost technology. I thought this to be a simple mission for my recruit to get some field experience, but alas, this section has turned out to hold greater danger than first thought. I've lost a fellow knight and my recruit has been captured."

"Well that's too bad for ya, we need to get going." Jericho said.

"Jericho, these people need our help." Pegasus said.

"Haven't we done enough good deeds for the day Lover?" complained clover.

" _SIR YOU ARE A SOLDIER NOT A HERO!"_ Rl-3 chimed in.

"Rl-3, this people do have some claim to remnants of the united states military, as a fellow soldier I have to help them." Pegasus said. "As for you two, you wanna go back? or wander a mutant infested ruin alone?"

They both grumbled but knew he was right. Rl-3 gave a salute.

"Glad to have you with us." Though from the tone Hoss wasn't so sure.

" _COMMANDER DETECTING A CHINESE DISTRESS SIGNAL! WE NEED TO FIND THE RED BEFORE HE CAN CALL REINFORCEMENTS!"_ RL-3 suddenly shouted moving away from the group.

"We rescue an ally first, then deal with the signal!" Pegasus ordered.

" _NEVER LEAVE A MAN BEHIND IN THIS US ARMY! COMMANDER PERHAPS WAS MISTAKING YOUR FOOLISH HEROICS FOR VALOR. MY APOLOGIES."_

They'd have to deal with whatever Rl-3 was detecting after rescuing this Pek. In one of the larger, still standing buildings three more super mutants came out and took positions behind some cars. These ones were using assault rifles, while one in the middle had a minigun. The nameless knight fired several laser blasts not at the mutants but at the cars. Pegasus wondered why he would be wasting ammo but when everyone else took cover he did the same. The explosions that followed shook the ground. The mutants' painful screams pierced his ears. Not wasting any time, they finished off the wounded.

"Looks like this thing's still salvageable." Hoss said throwing down his flamer, taking the minigun. "Always found that thing to be useless."

Inside gore bags hung from the ceilings and bent rebar turned into barricades was a clear sign at this was the home of the super mutants. Pass a destroyed wall, several mutants stood around a fire, one pointing a weapon towards the door.

The Brotherhood took the brunt of the mutants' attack, there power armor allowing them to soak up the bullets as well as any other mutant. Taking cover, they fired their weapons into the group. The mutants didn't bother taking cover, there wounds healing almost as fast as they were hit. Only when Hoss fired the minigun until the barrel ran red and clicked empty did the mutants finally die.

"Jesus I hate those things. And I just got this thing too." Hos said tossing the now useless minigun. "Pek! You in here?"

"Hoss is that you?" A shy voice said from the janitors' closet. "Hoss! I can't believe you can and rescued me!"

"I wouldn't have done it unless I had some help." Hoss said kicking in the door.

A boyish face with messy red hair in combat armor too big for him came running out, hugging Hoss. "Thank you! And where's my heroes."

"No hugs thanks." Pegasus said.

"Wow you the ones who saved me? You don't look any older than me." Pek said solemnly.

"Yeah well before you go looking up to the Pegasus, there's something you should know and that is we're nearly out of ammo now!" Jericho interrupted. "Those yellow freaks soaked up all of our bullets!"

"Hate to say it but the man's right." The knight said. "even my laser rifle's running low."

"we're continuing with the mission." Hoss said. "Take what ammo we can salvage from the mutants, hopefully we can get some more at the L.O.B enterprise building."

"Shouldn't we go back? Maybe send the Pride in?" Pek asked too eagerly.

"The Pride's too busy to deal with anything this small Pek! If you really want to impress her then you're going to have to finish this mission!"

"I can't sir, my gun's jammed!" Pek said holding out his 10mm pistol.

Pegasus took it, saw that a shell was stuck in the chamber. Clearing it and making sure the next bullet chambered correctly. "Here. That things going to need cleaning when you get back."

Pek took back the weapon, his face filled with jealously.

"Alright enough getting sidetracked," Hoss said. "Move out people!"

Hoss and the knight took point while the other followed, luckily there were no living mutants on the way, only a few dead ones Hoss and the knight killed before, and their ally's body. The L.O.B Building was in surprisingly good shape for such an ancient structure. The outside looked as though it had been hit with an explosion but had never fallen.

"What is this place?" Pegasus asked.

"Was a communist stronghold meant to supply infiltrators to wreak havoc in the Commonwealth. Hopefully the communist left us something." Hoss explained.

" _SIR I AM DETECTING SEVERAL ELECTROMAGNETIC SIGNATURES EMANATING FROM THE BUILDING. THOSE COMMUNIST BASTARDS LEFT US A WELCOMING PARTY!"_ RL-3 said. _"THE DISTRESS SIGNAL IS ALSO COMING FROM THIS BUILDING! IF YOU WOULD'VE SAID YOU WERE GOING AFTER COMMUNIST I WOULD'VE NEVER OBJECTED TO YOUR MISSION OFFICER HOSS!"_

"You mean robots right?" Pegasus asked.

" _COMMUNIST ROBOTS COMMANDER!"_ Rl-3 corrected. _"AND ONE DISTRESSED RED! LET'S GO PUT HIM OUT OF HIS MISERY!"_

"Before we go in there I got an idea." Taking out the laser pistol he'd found, and using some of the parts from the eyebot, he attuned it to instead of releasing a concentrated beam of radiation, to be a concentrated EMP wave. most likely it would burn through the power cells quicker, but if it worked it would be worth it.

"What the hell did you do?" Jericho asked.

"If this works. Getting us some allies. Rl-3 come with me the rest of you stay out here."

The ground floor was surprisingly clean for a ruin. The robots we're still in their maintenance duties centuries after anyone had given them their last commands. The clacking of rhythmic steps approached them.

" _WARNING YOU ARE TRESPASSING ON PRIVATE PROPERTY!"_ the Protectrons head glowed with each word pointing its laser arm at them. It was working in good condition.

Perfect test subject. The laser beam wasn't even that, it was more of a flash of blue light. The protectron seem to freeze in place. Moving quickly to its combat inhibitor, hooking his pip-boy up to it he scrolled down the parameters and started reprogramming the protectron. Finding a file meant to activate in case of military siege:

" _FOR THE GLORY OF CHAIRMEN CHENG! DEATH TO THE AMERICAN PIGS!"_

" _DIRTY COMMIE BASTARD!_ " RL-3 shouted aiming to kill the thing.

"Wait! RL-3 link up with this thing and command it."

" _ARE YOU ORDERING ME TO BETRAY MY COUNTRY?!"_

No. I'm ordering you to make this thing betray it's."

" _OHHO! COMMANDER YOU ARE A SLIPPERY ONE!"_

He had to make a lot of excuses to get RL-3 to do what he needed. RL-3 used one of its arms to link with the protectron. It started moving again.

" _COMMANDER I HAVE ASSUMED DIRECT CONTROL OVER THIS COMMUNIST! LET'S MAKE HIM DIE FOR HIS COUNTRY!"_ RL-3 seemed almost giddy at the thought.

"In a minute." The sounds of another protectron was approaching. "How many did you say you can control?"

" _TEN, COMMANDER."_

Another protectron appeared from the halls and started giving the same warning. Firing the laser pistol, the protectron didn't seem affected. Moving close, the protectron gave a final warning at ten feet and this time the gun worked and burned out the small energy cell.

"Three shots and I got to be almost ten feet from the damn thing." Pegasus said looking at the pistol. All worth it. Reprogramming the other one and taking the power cells out of one of its arms. He had a feeling traveling through the wasteland was going to get a lot safer.

" _COMMANDER WE NEED TO- "_ RL-3 started before moving behind the derelict welcoming desk. _"LOOKS LIKE THIS COMMIE SEEN BETTER DAYS! DON'T NEED TO SEND HIM TO HELL, LOOKS LIKE HE'S ALREADY A RESIDENT!"_

Rl-3 hovered over a body with a black box in one hand and a compact Chinese assault rifle in the other. Taking the blackened looking weapon finding Chinese symbols etched into the side of the gun. Turing off the black box distress signal, pulling the gun away from the corpse to find that though the corpse looked like it went through a nuclear blast, the pool of blood underneath him showed he died not long ago.

"A ghoul?" Pegasus said aloud. Were there still Chinese infiltrators in America, only ghoulified and continuing their mission 200 years after there last command? It seemed foolish, but from everything he'd been through since leaving he wouldn't put that passed whatever was in the Capital Wasteland.

" _THOSE MARKING SAY THAT TYPE 93 COMPACT IS 'XUANLONG': THE BLACK DRAGON, KING DWELLING IN THE MYSTIC WATERS."_ RL-3 explained. _"IS GHOUL THE NEW WORD FOR COMMIES?" HE ASKED. "ALONG WITH THAT CHENG FELLOW I WANT TO SEE ALL THESE 'GHOULS' BACK TO THE GRAVE WHERE THEY BELONG!"_

"No, not all ghouls are communist." Pegasus said. Getting distracted by the sounds of more mechanical units approaching their position. They'd figure out what all this meant later. Right now they needed more allies, communist or not.

"Can we go yet?" Clover asked looking over Xuanlong, she took a liking to that gun instantly and so Pegasus gave it to her. She did ask for a better gun.

"Almost." Pegasus said over the sounds of loud cashing down the stairs.

" _AMERICAN DEMOCRACY IS FALSE! ONLY TRUE COMMUNISM IS DEMOCRATIC!"_ a captured Gutsy unit chanted.

" _AMERICA IS THE ONLY TRUE DEMOCRACY IN THE WORLD!"_ RL-3 corrected.

Three Protectrons, a Mr. gutsy, and their final ally was making its way down the stairs as they spoke. All the robots were pouting their communist propaganda while Rl-3, who had control over their combat capabilities and movements, didn't have control over their vocal systems, kept correcting them with his own American propaganda.

"You got to admit this is pretty entertaining." Pegasus said looking at his robots.

A loud crash and a wall of dust came from the service stairs; their final ally had shown up.

" _AMERICA WILL KNEEL BEFORE CHAIRMEN CHENG!"_ it bellowed in its baritone voice. Rolling out on tank treads, it's glowing red eye looked right at them, like before he felt a shiver of fear of the sentry bot before him.

This thing was fully loaded, with a full minigun and carrying eight rockets, it's armor made it as tough as a tank. It was the crowning jewel of L.O.B enterprises. At least until they found out what was in the suitcase this thing had been guarding.

"Though the wastelanders did most of the work, I say our mission is a success." Hoss said cheerfully holding the case.

"Oh joy." Pek couldn't hide his jealously.

"Don't fret kid. He kicked my ass when I met him to." Jericho told him. "Just not nearly this bad!"

The sentry bot was the first out. _"HOSTILES DETECTED!"_

It was hard to make out the screams of the super mutants over the sounds of the miniguns fire and rocket bursts, it sounded as though dozens of them were being destroyed by gunfire. the Protectrons and Gutsy went out next, one of the Protectrons exploded into pieces as bullets tore through it.

" _HOSTILES ELIMINATED!"_ Rl-3 stated.

" _ALL GLORY TO CHINA!"_ praised the sentry bot.

Rl-3 made noises that could only be described as a fit. If he ever got any more Chinese robots he was never going to change their vocabulary circuits.

"And I thought Sawbones was a strange one. where the hell did you get that thing?" Hoss asked.

"Bought it and not regretting it, yet." Pegasus said. "You know how to get out of the ruins and back to Megaton?"

"I know the way out of here through Arlington. It'll get you close to Wilhelm's Wharf." Hoss said.

"We can make it from there. Lead the way. Or let my robots lead."

Scavenging what they could, unfortunately the sentry bot had torn through the mutants and their weapons. Most of what they got was barely enough to fill a single magazine. Luckily though it seemed like the mutants didn't want to have another fight, they didn't encounter a single one on the way to the metro station to Arlington, or they had killed all of them in this area.

The metro station was lit by an electric lamp on a bloody table. The remnants of a meal of mole rat was on dirty tin plates and the bedrolls looked as though someone got out of them in a hurry.

"This wasn't like that when we got here." Hoss said. "Spread out."

"Hey Hoss look what I've-ah!" Pek had the fission battery to the lamp in his hands when he fell back. They all gathered in him to see what spooked him, several raiders where hanging from a metal pipe. Their hands tied behind them and nooses around there necks.

"Whoever the hell did this can't be too far away." Jericho said eating some of the food left on the table. "This shit's still piss warm."

"Why didn't we see them on the way in?" Pek asked.

"Would you take on three people in power armor?" Clover asked.

"Whoever did this gave us one less headache. let's go." Hoss finished.

Gunshots echoed through the metro tunnels. "Let me guess. Our way out is that way?" Jericho sighed.

"Most likely." Answered Hoss.

"Jesus fucking Christ! What the hell Pegasus! Do you go around looking for shit to get into?"

"So far I keep running into it." Pegasus answered. "We only got one way, and besides they could be friendly."

'Well I'm starting to regret not shooting you when I had the chance!" Jericho snapped.

RL-3 and every other robot pointed their weapons at him, even Dogmeat barred her teeth. _"GIVE ME THE REASON PRISONER!"_

"His robot is much scarier than Sawbones!" Pek shrieked.

They were getting closer to the light and to the gunfire. A man and a woman, both dressed in long dark green dusters where behind the turnstiles for cover, another was already down, they saw the concrete shatters as bullets hit the stairs next to them.

" _UNKNOWN TARGETS ACQUIRED! PERMISSION TO KILL?"_ the sentry bot stated.

"Denied." Pegasus remembered someone who wore the exact same kind of duster, Sonora had said that all Regulators of the wasteland wore them.

"Regulators fall back!" He shouted.

They finally took notice of him and with no other choice fell down the steps passed the sentry bot.

"RL-3, have the sentry bot move up, if anyone shoots at it shoot back." Pegasus commanded. "So what are you guys doing way out here?"

"How do you know us?" the woman asked. She was a cute freckled girl with red hair, someone that looked completely out of place wielding the R91 she had.

"I worked with Sonora to rescue some slaves." Pegasus explained. "Now I'm- "

"You're Pegasus!?" The man said. A wild looking man with dark hair and beard, a scar running down near his eye passed his chin was the only part that didn't have hair. "Sonora told us how you rescued the slaves and didn't eve ask for anything in return!"

"Is it true that you bought one and released one too?" The girl asked eagerly. Her eager face faltered when she saw Clover's collar.

they ducked as bullets shattered the concrete above them.

" _SIR THE ENEMY IS FIRING UPON US!"_ RL-3 shouted. The other robots started to move towards the battlefield. _"ANOTHER GLORIOUS DAY IN THE US ARMY!"_

"I'll explain later, it's not bad! Now then- "Pegasus indicated for their names.

"Sasha."

"Peter."

"Why are you here?"

Chasing a band of bandits lead by murderer Junders Plunkett." Sasha said. "We know he's in the house at the top of this hill."

"Alright: you two and Pek, use the sentry bot as cover and work your way upwards and to the west. Hoss, you and knight try flank them on the east side. When their fire's diverted the rest of us will move in the middle and they shouldn't be able to fight on three different flanks."

"How you'd get so good at military tactics?" Hoss asked

"I fought in Anchorage." Pegasus answered somewhat truthfully.

Hoss shook his head. "Alright you heard the crazy man, we just got recruited to fight in a war."

They moved like he said they should. The Gutsy went with the Brotherhood while the protectron followed the sentry bot. So far his plan was working. the raiders where diverting their men to fight on two fronts leaving the middle open.

"Hey Pegasus something about Junders. I know him from my raider days." Jericho said. "He's a punk that enjoyed getting close. Likes to punch and stab people, got a pair of knuckles that lets him do both."

"Thanks." That information may be useful. "Spread out!" Pegasus shouted. some of the raiders noticed them coming up and fired. Ducking behind some of the stone slabs for cover, Pegasus face nearly fell onto a flower.

The battle was driven out of his mind at the sight of the beautiful pink-white petals in bloom. Jericho had told him that flowers didn't exist in this world. He'd seen the plants of Tenpenny's garden but that was simply to feed his arrogance. Like in the Vault, the outside world didn't grow anything unless it had a reason to be grown. the flower didn't have a single practical purposes that he could think of, yet it was the most precious thing that he'd seen since leaving.

A stray bullet shattered the stone next to him, showering the flower in dust. The sentry bots crushed the stones and dirt as it advanced, a green bush had been caught in its tread.

"Stop! Stop!" Pegasus shouted over the sounds of the battle. Nobody heard him over the sounds of shooting. Fear that something beautiful to him was about to be lost forever, Pegasus fired wildly and rushed the raiders.

Feeling the bullets hit his armor from two of them, Pegasus fired back with his pistol until it clicked empty, one was killed the other and reloaded before him and nearly got the drop on him, but Dogmeat ran through the stones and in one leap tore the raiders throat out. The rest were too busy fighting his allies to pay attention to him. entering the house, finding it to be completely empty except for the lights along the wall.

Someone knocked the pistol out of his hands, side stepping a blow to his face and backing into the kitchen area. His attacker wore an eyepatch, his skin and hair were covered in a sheen of oil. His right hand held rusted looking metal knuckles with spikes on it.

"Tell your men to stop this Junders!" Pegasus said. "Too much damage is being done out there!"

"Who the fuck are you?" Junders replied in an oily voice.

"Pegasus!"

"What the hell kind of faggoty name is that? Guess I'm killing a faggot."

Junders leapt across the room, Pegasus had a knife of his own but didn't trust his skill with it. Regretting that he'd left the batons back in Megaton, not thinking he'd ever get into close combat in the Wasteland. He'd have to rely on his fist.

Dodging and guiding Junders blows away from him, it was hard to find an opening. Junders fought wildly but methodically, the blows seemed random but every opening turned into a feint and he found himself retreating from Junders assault of punches and kicks. The oil on his body was making it difficult to get a grip on him, Pegasus tried to grapple and throw Junders to the ground, but the oil allowed him to slip out, bad footing on both their parts forced them to step back and reevaluate.

"Not bad kid. But I've fought worse!" Junders shouted going on the attack again.

Pegasus didn't doubt that, Junders was the first person who he wasn't sure to beat in a fist fight. Behind Junders he saw stairs leading downstairs into a sublevel. Getting back into the fight, Pegasus didn't try to fight Junders, but guide him close to the stairs.

 _One more step._ he thought turning so he was facing the door. Junders took that step, turned so his back was behind the door.

Pegasus feinted to the face and kicked to the legs. Junders lost his footing as his foot hit the stars. with a blow to the face Junders tumbled down. Hearing a sickening crunch, Pegasus shined his pip-boy light to the bottom, seeing Junders head twisted at an odd angle.

"Junders Plunkett you are to be- "Sasha stated before noticing Pegasus. "Where is he?"

Pegasus pointed down the sitars. "Is it over, everyone okay?"

"Pek and peter got hit, but they'll live. Two of your robots got destroyed. We're- "Pegasus rushed passed her after hearing that the others were okay. "Gathering the remains and counting the dead!"

Climbing to the top of the Arlington house, a path of destruction where the sentry bot had tread, scorch marks where laser and plasma had missed their marks, shell casing and bullets gleamed like glass in the sunlight. Spinning around, he finally realized that this was a cemetery, a place of burial and respect for the dead. Away from the destruction in an untouched section of the cemetery, there was another flower growing, and in another and another. A graveyard, a place for the dead, was growing life. And they had nearly destroyed it again.

Looking between the flowers and the sentry bot, loathing filled him. he had nearly destroyed something beautiful without even thinking about it. He wondered if the people in power, of the Commonwealth and China alike really understood what they had done when thy decided to nuke the world, and if they lived to see the destruction they had wrought, had they felt the same as he did now?


	21. Chapter 21 The Life

"Alright! Junders kept a stock! Haven't had a good buzz for several hours!"

Jericho had a wine bottle in each hand, they were found along with dead flowers to a picture of Abraham Lincoln like a shrine. Junders didn't seem to worship someone else, it must've been the previous occupants.

Junders had kept all his loot down here. Along with the wine there were boxes of caps, spare guns, along with parts and ammo, though only enough to fill each gun and a spare magazine. After the fight, they moved Junders body outside and started going through the place to rearm and rest.

"So are you with the Brotherhood Pegasus?" Sasha asked.

"No he's not with us. I sure as hell wish he'd join." Hoss said trying to open the case. "The young man got more talent and potential the all the recruits combined. You'd make it into the pride within weeks of joining."

Pek grumbled something surly insulting, Pegasus didn't care. He was too busy rolling the stem of a flower between his fingers. Lost in his thoughts of what this meant. The Wasteland wasn't the carcass of the previous world, though the world had been battered, it still continued, in a desolate wasteland in a graveyard of the dead even the flowers could bloom. What more, the flower reminded him of the promise he made to Amata.

He wondered how she was doing. In just over three weeks since he left, he'd done so many things he'd never thought he'd do. For whatever else the Overseers had been, he was starting to see why they never wanted to open the Vault in the first place. If Amata could see him now, know what he'd done and the dangers of the Capital Wasteland, would she still open the Vault?

 _No matter what's outside that door, we'll deal with it._ They had promised. He felt in his heart that Amata would keep that promise, so he had to keep his. And if he was going to keep this one then he better start keeping the rest.

"Hoss what do you know of Three Dog and GNR?" Pegasus asked. He would find his dad, alive or dead, but he would find him.

"How does a local not know about the great and powerful Three Dog?" Mused Hoss. "The voice of truth in the wasteland. But if you're asking why his signal's total shit this side of the river it's because his radio dish got shot up to shit. It's too bad to because GNR is also one of our man bases for communication."

"You work with Three Dog? Then the Brotherhood knows about the comings and goings inside GNR?" Pegasus asked eagerly.

"You been living in a Vault or something Pegasus? Everyone knows that the Brotherhood of Steel supports the GNR!"

"Yeah it's a good recruitment for fools and bullet fodder." Clover snapped.

"We protect the Capital Wasteland an all its inhabitants form the super mutant menace! And help stop raiders and slavers from victimizing the local communities." Hoss angrily retorted.

"I've never seen the Brotherhood outside of the D.C ruins." Peter interrupted. "From what I've heard, you guys are locked up tight in the battle with the yellow bastards. We Regulators are the ones patrolling the outskirts of the city fighting the raiders and slavers."

"That may be true, but we do our best to keep the mutants in the D.C area." The knight countered.

"Well you're doing a piss poor job of it then!" Jericho shouted. "We're on the other side of the river and been fighting those freaks. Hell me and Peggy fought one way the fuck out of nowhere! so where were you regulating? I say both you fuckers suck at your jobs!"

"Do you have any idea how many mutants the brotherhood has killed over the years? If we weren't there to stop them, they would've overran the entire Wasteland by now!" Hoss countered.

"You have no idea how many people we've saved from slavery and death out there! And we don't have the luxury of power armor or robots!" Sasha protested.

"Yeah and know what I've seen my entire life? Nothing but death and failing groups of do gooders getting way over their heads and dying for it. Personally I say we all team up, and take whatever it is we need to get by another day! But you'll won't do that will you? Gotta do some bullshit like protecting the innocent or some other high ideal nonsense. When you gonna realize that the only thing that matters is living the moment before you die? Why you all wasting it, and why the fuck did I get dragged into your goody nonsense?!"

Jericho finished ranting by smashing the bottle of wine and downing it. spitting it back up gagging badly.

"From the smell of it, I say it's vinegar." Pegasus smiled. "Instead of living in the moment of getting piss drunk, why don't you plan five seconds ahead and read the label and make sure what you were drinking was still wine?"

"I won't deny that a lot of people have died over the years. The Brotherhood stretched thin as it is and there's dissent in our ranks." Hoss said. Violently tearing at the case.

"Not no dissent. You have a civil war going on and you best admit it." Clover pointed out. "The Outcasts separated from you, they've been calling themselves the true Brotherhood of Steel. Said that the original mission you bastards had was to gather lost tech in the D.C ruins and leave. Your leader got all soft and strayed from the course and you split. So you've never been interested in protecting the people, your split and all the dead bodies from Lyons stupidity just means you need more stupid people to do your dirty work. And once you have what it is you came for, you're going to leave, Brotherhood or Outcasts so why did you even bother helping?"

"I'm not an original member of the Brotherhood. I'm 38, but only been the brotherhood for the past eight of those years." Hoss whispered.

"I was actually born in the Brotherhood. And the wastelander outranks me." The knight added.

"Don't you go shitting on the Brotherhood! They save my life; I owe them it!" chimed Pek.

"What about you Pegasus? You share you're companions bleak outlook on the world?" Peter asked.

"They're my friends, not just companions." Pegasus corrected. "I can see what they mean, the Wasteland sucks! I can agree with them on that. You guys have been fighting and it looks like you're not gaining anything so what's the point?" He thought of Amata, the Overseers of the past, Moriarty and Lucas Simms former power balance, Moira's plan for her book and Crows dismissiveness of it. Tenpenny and Roy with their plans to subjugate and kill. His dad and whatever reasons he had to leave 101. "Everyone does what they think is right. But not everyone can be right, and when two people or groups can't decide which way is the right way. There's going to be conflict. Even raiders and slavers can somehow convince themselves that they are the good guys."

"So what? Whoever left standing in the end is right?" Clover mocked.

"No that just leaves the last person standing." Pegasus tried to figure out the proper words. "The right way, is the way that has the most people living. Does that make sense?"

Pegasus wished his conviction was as strong as his words. If he was correct, was the right way the Overseers' way? If the vault was never open, would anyone have died because of him and his dad?

"Well I prefer getting drunk so if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go find a bottle of not vinegar." Jericho said.

"Ah ha!" Hoss hooted as the case finally opened. "The prize of the brotherhood is…a pistol?"

He held up a Chinese pistol, even with full power armor on, the disappointment shone on his face. "Well this was a total bust!"

"Can I see that?" Pegasus asked. Hoss tossed him the gun. Glad it wasn't loaded he checked it over. It looked much like the weapons in the Outcast vault, pristine, out of time. It was heavier than the other Chinese pistol he had, and the barrel was wider as well, it was made to hold 10mm rounds and not the 9mm standard. The handle had a red and black Chinese symbol imprinted on that he'd no idea what it meant.

"RL-3. Know what this means?" Pegasus asked.

" _SIR THAT IS ZHU-RONG, THE SYMBOL FOR THE CHINESE GOD OF FIRE! HOPE HE BURNED THEM ALL FOR BEING COMMUNIST!"_ Rl-3 said.

"well he came fully stocked." Hoss pulled out a wooden stock, a scope and 10mm rounds. "dammit I was supposed to find something worthwhile, not some former big shots personal gun!"

"If you don't want it I'll take it." Pegasus said.

"We gotta come back with something." Pek said.

"Take the sentry bot," Pegasus offered. "I can't repair it and it's already used up a lot of its ammo."

"Really!? You'll just give us that?" the knight couldn't hide his excitement.

"It's a deal Pegasus!"

They had to travel through another metro station and even a sewer. It was slow going making way for the sentry bot. Other than some radroaches and giant blowflies in the sewers they didn't have too much trouble. They had to move slowly single file through some drainage areas because of the sentry bot, but in the end they exited to a setting sun across the dirty river with Wilhelm's Wharf within eyesight.

"Well this is where we all part ways." Hoss said looking into the dusk. "We need to get back to the Citadel. They'll going to be most interested in hearing about you Pegasus. If you're going to GNR, I'll try and let them know you're coming. Don't want you getting shot by accident."

"We need to get back to headquarters and let them know the bounty was a success." Sasha tossed Junders knuckles and caught them. "It was a pleasure meeting you in person Pegasus."

"Hoss. You said that Sawbones was a medical Gutsy, think you can get me the proper medical programming delivered to Megaton?"

"Can't make any promises, but I can try." Hoss Promised.

"If you're done saying your farewells, we're stopping by Granny Sparkles and getting some grub. I'm hungry!" Complained Jericho.

The three groups went their separate ways, Pegasus however went to go check the bridge, finding that all of the mines were gone. Heading back to find Grandma Sparkle giving drinks and taking Jericho and Clover orders like a waiter of old diners.

"Do you know what happened to the bridge?" He asked Sparkle.

"Oh my boys and several wastelanders went through and gathered the mines. Good for hunting mirelurks those things are! And I bet those two wastelanders got themselves a pretty penny for the price of those things." Explained Granny Sparkle.

"How long was that?"

"About several hours after you left hon. Now what would you like?"

Laughing at the irony of all the trouble he'd gone through, he ordered a bowl of soup and a slab of mirelurk for Dogmeat. Did he really think the rest of the Capital Wasteland was just going to sit still for him?

"Lover, why did you give up the sentry bot for this?" Clover asked looking at the pistol.

"If we're going to be going to GNR, and if D.C is a mutant stronghold, that thing would be nothing more than a giant target."

"I guess. Thought you were just being sentimental again." Clover said pulling out a loaded clip.

"Let me see those." Pegasus notice that the bullets were a lot different than any other 10mm round he'd seen. These ones were red with the tips pointed.

"So we're going to die on the road to GNR? Guess it's one way to go out." Jericho said taking a swig of beer. "Never thought I'd die like this. Oh well fuck it."

"Why the hell are you so bleak about everything? You were a raider and somehow you managed to live to be old. What the hell happened to you to make you so bitter?" Pegasus asked examining the bullets.

"What you wanna know my life story? Alright fine. You right, I was born a raider. Mommy and daddy were part of a group calling themselves the Bloody Mummers. Grew up raiding with them, until I saw moms get her head split open by a bullet, wastelander that didn't like what we're did to his kids. We beat the bastard to death for that. Not long after my daddy got killed in a knife fight with the boss when they was disagreeing. Bossman nearly killed me to, until another killed him and took charge. I was around twelve at that time."

"Jesus." And Pegasus thought his childhood was bad.

"Hey that's the life. The new boss always took a liking to me and took me under. We went raiding and pillaging across the wastes. Not just here in the Capital Wasteland, but far west as well. Even got to a place called New Reno. Man if I could have retired there I would've been in heaven! Whores on every street and the booze flowed like the river!"

"So how did you end up in Megaton if New Reno was so great?"

"We only stayed for a bit. No way we were ever pulling something in New Reno, the bosses there make Eulogy look like a pussy."

"Hey!" Clover angrily shouted.

"Just speaking the truth bitch. So we always targeted smaller settlement and tribe's taking what we wanted and moving on. And we just kept doing that for years on end."

"Sounds exciting." Pegasus mocked.

"It was for a bit." Jericho looked into his beer. "Finally the years went by, all my raiding buddies got themselves killed. I found that I had survived twelve different bosses and was in my forties, had become boss in all but name. What did I have to show for it? A bunch of tattered tents, not enough food to go around and a bunch of young assholes looking to shove a knife in my back. Day in day out was that."

"I thought you enjoyed living day to day? Sounds like you regret it?"

"I don't regret nothing! Jericho chugged his beer. "All raiders promise you glorious final days. Growing up I was fed the line of bullshit that just one raid, and we'd all be living big and not have to do anything else. We'd just get drunk and fuck till the sun exploded. Finally, I hit the age where I realized that it was all just bullshit! Found myself telling the new Mummers the same bullshit that was fed to me! So I left the life behind. Tried going legit for a while but that didn't work out too well. The pay was too piss poor to buy a whore. Ended up as a mercenary to whoever would pay me. Got paid well cause I didn't ask any questions. Got so good I was on a first name basis with Penelope Cruz, Junders Plunkett, and several other raider bosses. Guess what happened to them?"

"I did kill Junders. So I take it the same to the rest." Pegasus answered.

Ding-Ding-Ding-Ding! Correct! What did Peggy Win!" Jericho drunkenly shouted. "They all got fucking killed, and the new guys that replaced them, they didn't give a flying fuck about me. I came and went as I please but they didn't care. I don't care either, fuck'em! Had enough money to quit. Not luxuriously otherwise I'd be in Tenpenny tower, but enough to get a house in Megaton. And it was perfect for me. Got piss drunk, got my dick wet, and passed out in a bed and didn't have to worry about a knife in the back. And you had to go take all that away from me."

"I didn't take it away from you, you lost it when you acted like an idiot." Pegasus argued. "Besides, I'm not twisting your arm to be here. You can go whenever you want."

"where to asshole? Can't even go to Paradise or Felix because Eulogy put a price on my head. So fuck it, I'll just die out here somewhere."

A strange mix of pity, disgust, and understanding for Jericho filled Pegasus. Though sickened by how casual Jericho had made the raiders life sound, he understood the reason why he left. Pegasus knew the feeling of the days going by and having nothing to show for it. The fear that they were going to spend their entire lives in the Vault and die there was one of the main drives Amata and he had to open the Vault. He was glad that the thought came to him young instead as an old man like Jericho.

"Don't be like that hon! A little mirelurk will perk you up!" Granny sparkle put the plates of food down. Mirelurk cakes for Clover, and two bowls of soup for Jericho and Pegasus. Chunks of white meat mixed with liquid potatoes and salt. Taking a bite, Pegasus found it to be quite good. He would need to ask Sparkle for the recipe to give to Silver.

"so Lover after this we going to GNR?" Clover asked. She sighed in pleasure at the taste of the mirelurk cake. "This is really good. I haven't eaten anything like this in…forget it."

"alright I will. And no we're not." Pegasus answered. "After this we're going to Megaton. We need to get more ammo and our armor is nearly shot, hopefully Moira will be able to fix it. Also I need to ask Lucas if he'll break the rules to let me in late at night."

"You're going to go pick up that kid aren't you." Jericho said his mouth stuffed with soup.

Pegasus nodded. He hoped Bryan was still alive after how crazy those fire ants had gotten. He hoped that they had all died. The thought of the ants reminded him of the bullet and he started handling it again.

"Give me that." Clover snatched the bullet out of his hands and put it in the chamber. She tilted she gun to the side like she did with every other weapon and squeezed towards some nearby rubble.

The bullet hit a concrete and exploded like a mini grenade. They ducked as pieces of shrapnel flew from the explosion. The bullet had turned the concrete into dust and shattered the rebar.

"Well you did ask me for a better gun." Pegasus joked. "Want it?"

"You kidding? Hell yeah!" Clover said admiring the pistol.

"Hopefully Moira will also be able to make more of these." Pegasus handled another round. Something like this could probably stop a mutant in its tracks. He hoped the Brotherhood of Steel never found out what Hoss had passed up!

"Alright hons, that'll just be thirty caps for the meals." Grandma sparkle said. She was behind the counter her hands on her rifle.

It dawned on him that he'd forgotten to bring caps. "You take bullets?"


	22. Chapter 22 In His Footsteps

"So think you can take care of the kid?" Pegasus asked Gob, Bryan was sitting at the table with a small glass of water crying, Dogmeat had her head in his lap while Nova and Silver were trying their best to comfort the orphan to no avail. Bryan had lost his home and his family in the same day. Pegasus could relate.

He'd first been afraid that Bryan had gotten killed when the fire ants went berserk. With how many bodies had been torn to pieces and the pool of fire that they'd gone passed, he thought he'd find Bryan as a charred corpse or worse. The preservation tank had kept him safe, and though he was a bit heat stroked, he'd live.

"Not a problem Pegasus. Though the boy will have to work. Can't just let him stay here for free." Gob explained. "But don't worry, I won't be a taskmaster like Moriarty. Just make sure the kid cleans and sweeps. Things like that."

"Fair enough. The doctor that caused all this mess told me he has family somewhere out there. Hopefully they'll take him in." Pegasus mused.

"If not, well I hope the kid's a good worker." Gob said solemnly. "So what's the plan now? You still trying to get to GNR?"

"Yeah, no more sidetracking. Going to stay three days at most to get my stuff together. Then head on out. Is Moira still up?"

"Most likely. She pretty much exploded with joy when the protectron you sent said it belonged to her."

"Yo Gob got a beer?" Jericho asked from the doorway.

" _PRISONERS DO NOT ISSUE REQUESTS! YOU ARE TO SPEAK ONLY WHEN TOLD TO! ANOTHER OUTBURST LIKE THAT AND YOU WILL BE DISCIPLINED!"_ RL-3 stated.

It had been hard convincing Lucas to let Jericho back into Megaton. Exile meant that if he went through the gates was an automatic bullet. The guns, ammo, food, and medicine that he'd given from the Super Duper Mart had given him a lot of negotiating room though. Finally, convinced Lucas to let Jericho in on the condition that he be on probation and constant watch.

Luckily Rl-3 jumped for that job.

"Fuck you can opener-ow!" Jericho jumped when Rl-3 used a small amount of flames to torch his hand.

" _CARE FOR ANOTHER YOU DOG!"_ intimidated RL-3.

Jericho grumbled but didn't say anything. "Give him another, I can watch this all day!" Clover joked drinking a glass of whiskey.

"You're a real bitch you know that-ow!"

Pegasus chuckled along with Clovers raucous laughter. "Give the man a beer for the road." Pegasus handed Gob three caps, he'd be carrying a handful with him from now on.

The lights of Craterside Supply were still on though it was an hour passed closing.

Knocking loudly. "Moira, it's Pegasus!"

It sounded like an avalanche of junk fell behind the closed door. The door flew open before the crashing ceased, Moira's face was covered in machinery grease except for around the eyes where she had been wearing goggles. She screamed in joy seeing him, wrapping him in a big hug, jumping up and down.

"Thank you-thank-you-thank you-thank you!" Moira screamed aloud bouncing Pegasus. "I have my own robot buddy because of you and my book is getting started and my radiation cure worked though there was a slight mutation with the test subject this has been a great day!"

"Moira." Pegasus said trying to get her attention. Jericho and Clover looked at aghast at Moira's happiness.

She stopped jumping and went back into the shop. "I've already started reprogramming him there was this old Sunset Sarsaparilla machine that I'm working on moving the vocal programming my new clerk- "

"Moira."

"And I've worked nearly no stop on the first part of my book pouring over all those medical notes that you gave me- "

"Moira!"

"And the cure I gave to that acolyte worked and the mutation was benign so the cure will work even on a person with slight radiation and could even be a benefit to heavily radiated- "

"MOIRA!" She finally stopped talking though the smile didn't leave her face. "I'm glad you're happy, but I need your help right now."

"What do you Pegasus, I owe you a lot!" Moira said. "Come on in all of you! Well except you Jericho, you're a big meanie!"

"I make an ass out of myself once and nobody going to let me forget it." Jericho mumbled. "Ow-motherfucker!"

"Make sure he behaves RL-3." Pegasus said. Taking out the Zhu-Rong and one of the special bullets. "First things first, think you can make me more of these kinds of bullets?" He asked, explaining the properties of the gun and bullets as best he could.

"Can I see?!" Moira asked holding out her hand.

Shrugging. He gave her the gun and bullet. She loaded one and fired the round at an old cowboy robot. The thing exploded like being hit with a tiny missile.

"Neat!" Moira said picking up the shell casing and smelling. "Hmm, smells like it uses the same primer as any other bullet." She bit the metal of the gun much to their confusion. "the metal definitely not the normal material used to make a Chinese Type-17 though. The secret's in the tips, so I just need to study the bullet itself. Do you have any more rounds?"

"Luckily yes." Pegasus said. The case had come with forty of the explosive rounds. "I'll leave twenty with you. Also can you do basic repair on our armor?"

"Of course silly!" Moira almost sounded insulted. "Just leave it with me and I'll get it repaired as soon as I can!"

"And one more important question. Think you can set up a work bench and possibly get me a radio for my house? I need to work on my own Robot."

"Hmm. It'll take some time but I can do that for you." Moira smiled.

"Thanks. Hope I'm not asking too much."

"Oh you're not. Just know I'm still going to have to charge for all of this. Though at an exceptionally low price! Gotta keep my funding somehow!"

His eyes were sore from all the reading that had been in RL-3 memory banks. In two-hundred years, RL-3 hadn't had one memory wipe and a lot of the data he'd gotten was corrupted and riddled with errors. Like Jericho, RL-3 had apparently been all over the Commonwealth. Files about military operations in the Four States and Texas, to saved files of his journey through the northeast all the way back to D.C. Many of these files he would read later after he found his dad. He still couldn't find whatever it was that had allowed Eden to hijack him with the eyebot.

" _ARE YOU WELL SIR? YOU STILL LOOK AWFULLY WOUNDED._ " Wadsworth stated checking him over.

His eyes weren't the only thing that was sore. He hadn't realized just how damaged his body had been before he'd given his combat armor to Moira. Large welts where the mutants' bullets had hit him had formed all over his chest and back. the burn on his arm was nearly in the second-degree. The Stimpak he'd gotten from Brandice place was some really heavy stuff. If that was truly Enclave medicine, then he wondered what the hell the Enclave truly was capable of?

Clover had nearly been the same. what was more amazing that with all the bruises ad wounds she'd gotten he hadn't remembered her crying out once. Though with all the scars that were on her body he didn't want to know where her incredible tolerance to pain had come from. A stimpak injection and she slept like the dead. Jericho didn't have a mark on him, years of experience taught him when to duck.

Both slept in, Clover in the small room adjacent to him and Jericho snoring on the couch down in the living room with RL-3 guarding him. in the two days that they'd remained, Moira had gone above and beyond for him. Not only was their now a workbench by the walls, she'd also got him a small table, several chairs, a ruined couch, and though he'd asked for a simple radio, she'd fixed a jukebox and had it delivered to him. She'd only charged him three hundred caps for all of it, something that everyone at the Tavern had talked about. She had given him a huge discount, even Gob couldn't get a working Jukebox for anything less than five-hundred. Guess she was saying thank you.

"I'm fine Wadsworth. Just a little sore is all." Shutting down the terminal, there was really nothing more he could do. until he found his dad, he'd just best avoid or destroy all the eyebots he ran across. "Prepare some road food, we'll be leaving tomorrow."

"I do wish you luck sir. Don't forget you have a meeting with the mayor in the next twenty minutes."

"Heading there right now." Pegasus sighed. He was still way too sore, injecting himself with a stimpak to help with the pain. Stopping for a drink, he turned the faucet only to the sounds of air coming out. The water was turned off? He headed over to the Simms, needed to ask the mayor why the hell his water got turned off.

The people of Megaton seemed to be getting ready for something. Several people, all carrying guns (many that he recognized from the Super Duper Mart), were getting the brahmin strapped up with yellow metal barrels. The man that seemed to be organizing it all had an eyepatch on, his face seemed cocky and arrogant.

"Excuse me, but what's going on?" Pegasus asked him. The man smiled, making him look even more arrogant.

"You must be our local hero! Billy Creel's my name." He said offering his hand. "We're going on a water run, because of you we can go down to the river and fill up. maybe even get the processing plant at peak capacity for once." Billy laughed.

"We're out of water?" Pegasus hadn't expected that, he'd thought that like Tenpenny tower or even Arefu, that Megaton sat on their own water source.

"It's unfortunate I know." Billy said. "Even with Gob donating the crap Moriarty been stockpiling, we're still down quite a bit. Had to shut of the public to make sure hydroponics keeps it fill. Usually Moriarty's the one that makes it so our caravans could go down to the river without too much trouble. Though we have you to thank for this run!" Billy said gently punching him on the shoulder.

"Dad, I'm thirsty!" A little girl with short brown hair and dirty tattered clothing whined pulling on his legs. "When is the water coming back on?"

"soon Maggie sweetie." Billy picked up his daughter and gave her a hug. Pulling out a small hip flask. "Here, I was saving this for the road. Take a sip and when I get back you'll have a whole barrel with your name on it!"

Pegasus made a mental note not to judge a book by the cover ever again. Though he may look like an arrogant wannabe raider, Billy was a dotting parent. Maggie ran over to an approaching boy, Pegasus recognized Hardin, Luca's son.

"hello Pegasus." Hardin greeted. He took after his father in showing good manners. "My dad's expecting you. You should see him before the water run."

"Thanks. You kids be safe now." Pegasus told them. Hardin and Maggie started talking about guns, how Lucas was already showing Hardin how to shoot, hearing Billy promised Maggie that he'd start showing her next year. Getting the kids ready for life outside these walls.

The Simms place was slightly larger than his own home with two stories. the bookshelf had many odds and ends that he guessed was from Lucas own adventuring days. Going for a closer look, the click of a guns and the feeling of a cold barrel against the back of his head made him stop dead.

"That's the second time your life has been in my hands Pegasus." Sonora Cruz said behind him. "You should learn to check your corners."

"I usually do, just wasn't expecting to get shot where I'm safe." Pegasus said turning around. "Why are you here?"

"Well after Burke, I've learned not to turn my back even if I think it's safe." Lucas said form the balcony, pointing his Chinese assault rifle at him. Smiling he eased up. "I really hate to hear that you were killed because of carelessness."

"I'm here to give you your share of the bounty." Sonora said handing him a small case. "A thousand caps for the death of Junders Plunkett. Also to personally offer you membership into the Regulators."

"You want me to join the Regulators?" Pegasus asked looking at all the caps.

"Yes we would." Lucas said sitting down in the recliner, putting his hat on a mannequin head. "You've saved Megaton, you've fought three different groups of raiders and won, broke slaves out of Paradise Falls, you've saved my life and who knows how many other out there. You're already a Regulator in all but name, so why not make it official?"

"And if I refuse?" Pegasus asked.

"That would be unfortunate, but we'll respect your decision." Sonora said. "but if you joined you'd have the full support the Regulators behind you." She pulled out a green duster with a silver badge on top. "You are a man of justice Pegasus, if anyone should wear this, it is you."

He really was considering it. "I'm sorry Sonora but I can't." Pegasus handed her back the duster. "I still have things to do, and I can't put the Regulators above them."

"Everyone does what they need to do." Sonora said disappointingly. She took the badge back, but handed him back the duster. "You may not wear our badge, but you still carry out justice where you go. Take our duster at least, you've earned it."

The olive green jacket went down to his knees, it came with its own bullet belt and lots of sown on pockets and catchers, for bullets and magazines. "I'll wear it with pride." Pegasus accepted. "I'll be leaving soon I still need to prepare. It's always a pleasure."

He really did consider taking her offer, but doing so would mean putting the Regulators above the Vault and Amata. He'd left the Vault to look for his dad and to explore the Wasteland for 101. He wondered if the Brotherhood of Steel would try and send a recruiter for him now? Perhaps when the Vault was finally opened to the Wasteland he'd join one of them just so the Vault could have an envoy, but until then he was going to be a lone wanderer. Well, except for his friends and companions.

"So Chase wasn't completely full of shit after all." Pegasus said staring at the statue of the three soldiers in a heroic pose. They actually had made a statue of those Anchorage soldiers.

"Just a bunch of dead assholes in a stupid pose. Quite gawking at them and lets' go!" Jericho shouted heading to the metro station. According to Gob they had to do a lot of metro travel to get there.

For the first time since first standing on the scenic overlook, Pegasus felt excited. He was finally on the path to finding his dad. No more diversions from the course. The three days they'd spent preparing for this had been a good idea. The stimpaks had healed the majority of Clover and his injuries. Their combat armor's cracks had been filled with a black resin giving the white a strange looking wave pattern, Moira had promised him that it would take a bullet just the same. Unfortunately, she would need days to be able to make any more of the explosive bullets, but said that she'd be able to make twenty at a time. Jericho had turned down any weapons Pegasus offered him, sticking with the Chinese assault rifle that he'd had for decades. Clover kept the Zhu-Rong and Xuanlong, while Pegasus had Wanda and Amata's pistol. Enough water to go for at least a day, and Pegasus had stored preserved food in the Regulator duster, along with the thousand caps. Whatever they came across they we're ready.

"Hey why didn't we bring the dog with us Lover? If the mutt picked up your dad's scent wouldn't it be easier to find him?" Clover asked as they went down into the dark tunnels.

He'd left Dogmeat behind. Both to comfort Bryan and for her own safety. He didn't want to lose her in the metro tunnels, she had been smart enough not to take on any super mutants back at Arlington, but if they're any here he didn't want her getting smashed or getting in the way.

"I doubt she'd be able to track him with all the other scents throughout the D.C Ruins. Besides my dad's scent would be nearly a month old by now." Pegasus explained turning on his pip-boy light. He kicked himself for not getting Clover and Jericho flashlights of their own. He'd have to take point.

The metro station was littered with the bones of the dead, picked clean by the ravages of scavengers and time. At an overpass there were four tunnels. Consulting the map, Gob had told him to take the Chevy chase north track and exit to Tenleytown/Friendship station. There, all he had to do was follow Tenleytown and they'd be at GNR Plaza.

In the tunnels he had to turn the pip-boy light to full power to make sure they didn't trip over anything. The tracks were littered with the bodies of dead radroaches, every step they took illuminated several more of their hollow shells. He'd thought that Vault 101 had a radroach problem before, but nothing like this. The pale green light shined on a live one who scurried back into the darkness.

"Since you love Moira, you know she eats these right?" Jericho joked.

"She's trying to find a way to make these things fit for consumption." Pegasus could finally understand why. With how many corpses he saw, these things could feed the Wasteland.

The familiar clicking of the radroaches mandibles became louder and more numerous. Pegasus had years of dealing with these things and knew that if there was one, there was always at least three others. Drawing his pistol, radroaches were only dangerous when there were more than five of them.

"RL-3, do you detect any life forms in this area?" Pegasus asked.

" _SCANNING SIR! I DETECT NO OTHER HUMAN LIFE WITHIN THE VICINITY!"_ RL-3 said before continuing. _"I AM HOWEVER DETECTING TWO-HUNDRED THIRTY-SEVEN SMALLER LIFE FORMS LESS THAN A METER IN LENGTH 35 METERS IN FRONT OF US!"_

That was more radroaches then he'd ever dealt with in his life. From the look of disgust and horror on their faces, his friends thought the same.

" _COMMANDER! MY EYES ARE ALSO EQUIPPED WITH FLASHLIGHTS IF YOU NEED TO ABANDON STEALTH!"_ RL-3 added.

"We weren't being stealthy to begin with! Proceed!" Pegasus said through gritted teeth. "And tell me these things before they are needed!"

Like searchlights, RL-3 eyes put his little pip-boy light to shame. The three eyes hit a black mass ahead of him. Moira had told him that radroaches were numerous in the Capital Wasteland, he didn't grasp the weight of her words until he saw that black mass fracture into hundreds of radroaches all irritated by the lights.

Jericho opened fire, in the tunnel the blasts of the gun were amplified so much he was afraid he'd get permanent hearing damage. Seeing radroaches explode on contact with the bullets, and the mess get swallowed up by the approaching swarm made tinnitus seem a reasonable price for survival.

RL-3 fired his caster into the swarm, the green glow outlined a door on the service walkway passed the swarm.

"This way!" Pegasus jumped up and ran as fast as he could to the door. The service walkway was a good three feet off the ground, through the radroaches were piling on top of each other to get to him, at the door he saw what the radroaches had been eating, a human with most of his fleshed picked off, bits of tissue were still on the bones. Clover and Jericho made it to the door while RL-3 used his flamethrower to ward of the coming radroaches.

"Oh shit!" Jericho shouted jumping down and running to the body.

"If you don't want to end up as the next meal get your ass back here!" Shouted Pegasus.

"Got it!" Jericho hauled ass back up. shutting the service tunnel they could hear the sounds of a hundreds of legs scratching at the metal door.

"The bastard had some smokes on them. Haven't had one in a while." Jericho said taking out a cigarette. "Fuck. Anyone got a light?"

" _I'LL LIGHT YOU UP PRISONER!"_ Rl-3 said turning the flamethrower to Jericho's face.

"Don't torch him, just light the stupid cigarette." Pegasus told RL-3 over his grumblings. There was a light at the end of the service tunnel and the sounds of faint music echoed throughout.

"Lover, you're listening to galaxy news radio." Clover said turning up the radio. It was playing a swinging jazz song he'd never heard before, though it ended quickly.

 _That was Sid Phillips playing the boogie man. And here's…ME, hahaha, with the news! Now children I know that my signals been shit for the past month now and most of you'll out in the boonies can't hear what old Three Dog is saying. But that's alright, cause I'm recording this and going to be playing it to you loud and proud when the signals all cleared up baby! Owww! To the rest of you in the D.C area here's the latest news:_ _I've been getting more and more reports of these mercenary maniacs from Talon Company, especially in the downtown D.C. area. If you see these hombres, steer clear. Whatever you have, they want, and they're not really into asking politely. Word is, these guys take all the contracts the other mercs won't. In short there's nothing they won't do. So be careful out there._

What the hell were Talon Mercenaries still doing in the Capital Wasteland, shouldn't the contract on him be gone now that Burke was dead? Or maybe, unfortunately, there was a contract out on some other poor soul. The fact that the Talons were still operating just meant they'd have to be extra cautious. The mutants were bad enough, he didn't need the Talons coming after him to.

 _And now for a special public servant announcement:_ _For all you guys and gals tempted by the thought of scavenging in the downtown D.C. ruins, here's a tip... You see, children, the Frankensteins might violently and horrifically rip you to shreds. But only if you're lucky... According to most of our reports on the super mutants, they actually prefer capturing their victims and hauling them off to God knows where. Consider yourself, officially warned. Thanks for listening chill-dren! This is Three Dog, owww! And you're listening to Galaxy News Radio! Bringing you the truth no matter how bad it hurts. And now for some music!_

' _Way back home'_ by Bill Crosby started playing, one of his favorites back in the Vault. That was the second radio broadcasts he'd heard from GNR, and the second time it had said something useful to him. Strange that the mutants would prefer capturing people, from his experience it seemed like they just wanted to kill and eat him. Three Dog had left him with more questions than answers, though it had still been more enlightening than anything he'd heard from the Enclave. He was looking forward to meeting Three Dog in person.

"At least this time he wasn't peddling the bullshit about fighting the Good Fight." Jericho said puffing smoke. "Or sucking the Brotherhood's dick, always hated that shit."

"Eulogy likes listening to him. let's him know where the Brotherhood is concentrated at." Clover said.

Once at Tenleytown they were set on by a group of feral ghouls, another by a pack of mole rats. Nothing had been as scary as that radroach swarm. Though it was unfortunate they had to leave the mole rats behind, they were good meat. Though at the security point, they found a protectron in storage. It only took a minute to get it working and hooked up to Rl-3.

" _TICKETS PLEASE!"_ It said.

" _YOU'VE BEEN DRAFTED INTO SERVING YOUR COUNTRY! MAKE SURE THE OTHERS DIE FOR THEIRS!"_ RL-3 said.

" _DRAFTING SERVICE OFFLINE. PLEASE CONTACT TICKET BOOTH!"_

RL-3 grumbled about lack of enthusiasm. Pegasus could've put a program in him to change the voices of the robots linked up to RL-3, he had been tempted to make it so that all reprogramed robots spoke communist propaganda, but this was much more amusing. His smile faltered to the sounds of a battle outside the metro tunnels.

"Is this a pattern with you?" Jericho asked.

"Apparently." Pegasus answered, readying Wanda, they burst passed the metro gates.

It was just passed noon, plenty of daylight to see members of the Brotherhood exchanging fire with several super mutants. Both of them where using the ruined buildings as cover, and in the middle of them stood a tall building with dead letter lights spelling GNR.

So focused on fighting the Brotherhood, the mutants didn't notice they were being flanked until after the first one had been killed by the robots. They unloaded their assault rifles in the remaining two. The brotherhood members took advantage and ran across to help finish them off.

"What are you doing here locals?" the voice was a woman's and had the crisp tone of authority.

He'd only heard the Outcasts before call him local? "Here to see Three Dog." Pegasus explained. "Though it looks like you could use some help?"

"We had it covered local, we didn't need your help. If you're here to see Three Dog, stay behind us and out of our way."

"Hey they're packing heat! If they want to help I'm game!" The one in the back sounded like a young girl.

"Reddin, never try to circumvent the Sentinel! You're a member of the Pride so start acting like it!" The lecturing tone of a man trying to reel in an undisciplined student.

"Sorry Captain Vargas. Just voicing my opinion." Reddin said quietly.

"Is this the Lyons pride I've heard so much about? Doesn't seem like much." Pegasus was disappointed, from what he'd heard, he'd been expecting legendary soldiers.

"Wait and watch us work local." Sentinel said.

The Pride lead the way through the labyrinthine Chevy ruins. With their power armor they were much faster than Pegasus group, making it hard to keep up. They met up with another Brotherhood member carrying a sniper rifle standing over the body of another.

"Who's this? You picking up stays there Sarah?" The sniper mused.

"Locals here to see the DJ, Colvin." Sarah snapped. 'Jennings?"

"Negative."

"Dammit." The sounds of explosions and gunfire echoed through the ruins. "The bastards are assaulting our position. We need to reinforce them. Locals, you wanted to help, now you're going to!"

They ran towards a ruined building; the Pride took cover behind rubble while Pegasus went straight for the door. There wasn't a super mutant in sight. Opening the door, a mutant roared swinging a giant piece of rebar. It missed him, but hit Wanda, she flew out of his hands with such force her barrel had twisted and her handle shattered as she hit the wall. Falling to the ground he fired his pistol at its face, the 10mm rounds seemed to bounce off it's flesh. Bullets and flashes of red and green flew over, pieces of charred mutant fell on top him.

More roars were heard and several mutants came out the ruins. Rushing to cover, pain for the loss of the gun that had served both him and Mojo so well for so long filled him. it was also the only weapon that seemed to work on these creatures, the 10mm did nothing, the only thing he could do was be a diversion for his teammates. The protectron exploded in the firefight, it and Wanda were the only casualties.

Picking up a mutant R91, it looked as though it hadn't been cleaned in years, the trigger stuck and the pull was far too strenuous. Perfect for them, nearly useless for him. throwing it down he picked the ruined Wanda, no way was he leaving her here in this mess.

"Man I'm dry!" Jericho complained. Salvaging what he could from the mutants.

"Same here Lover. All I got is this." Clover took out Zhu-Rong.

"As I told you. Stay out of our way." Sarah stated pushing passed them.

Not sure how much he liked Sarah, the pride were now the point men of the group. Another mutant ambushed, the pride took them all down. Sarah and Vargas's laser rifles charred their flesh and made their rapid healing difficult while Colvin's sniper rifle did enough damage on its own to make them stumble. Finally, them made their way to the GNR plaza, a dozen knights fought a dozen super mutants in stalemate.

The Pride moved to flanking positions, Clover took her horizontal aim with the Zhu-Rong, one round exploded the head of a super mutant. Using the kick, doing a horizontal sweep, shooting each mutant in the head with the same result. After ten fell, it took the Brotherhood and even the remaining mutants a second to realize what just happened, the Pride moved in and finished the remaining two.

"Wow." Clover said amazed at her new gun.

"Did you know it was going to do that?" Pegasus asked. Giving up the sentry bot seemed to be the best trade in his life.

"I just wanted to get their attention." Clover said truthfully.

They were running on empty, but they were here at last. He hoped Three Dog would remember his dad, or even better his dad would be here. that the Brotherhood would be nice enough to spare a few rounds and let them rest their feet. Going over the the dead mutants, Pegasus needed to find a new weapon.

Reddin shot several rounds into a dead mutant. "Goddamn that was fun! What the hell kind of weapons are you using wastelanders?"

"Watch your ammo Reddin!" Vargas lectured.

"Oh come on Vargas, you know the Pride needs me." Reddin said proudly going over to a barrel fire by the street.

"You're brave and you got potential. Don't waste it."

"Come on like I would ever- "

A loud bestial roar, unlike any other super mutant they had ever heard echoed through the ruins. The ground shook rhythmically as though someone was walking quickly towards them. It was impossible though, the only thing that could shake the ground like these was something like a chimera, and those things didn't exist. A super mutant three stories tall, using a light pole with a fire hydrant at the tip as a club smashed through a barricade of ruined vehicles. Smacking one away as though a toy, the car flew toward Reddin and smashed her against the wall. It screamed like a creature out of a nightmare and Pegasus found himself wishing he had a chimera.

"Fire!" Sarah screamed firing on the Behemoth and the rest of the Brotherhood followed suit.

All the bullets and lasers seemed to do was make it even angrier. swinging the hydrant and taking out a piece of GNR, several knights fell back in fear.

Pegasus looked around for anything he could use to fight that monstrosity. Clover and RL-3 were trying to fight while Jericho stood there dumbfounded at the sight. In the pile of mutant corpses, he spotted a dead Brotherhood member, clutching in his hands a Fat Man with a mini-nuke already loaded.

Not bothering to question why this was here. Without power armor, the Fat Man was unwieldy and hard to aim. He only had one shot and remembering that this thing liked to arc aimed above the creature's head.

The behemoth seemed to notice him. Firing, the Fat Man's kick was so great it pulled him to the ground. The mini-nuke arched and hit dead center in the Behemoths chest. A blinding flash and a painful roar, Pegasus looked up to see the Behemoth stand still. Smoking, it's entire chest had be vaporized by the blast, seeing the blackened charred form of its spine and what remained of its ribs. It fell backwards with a loud crash of death.

Clover helped him to his feet. He'd expected to hear wild cheers from the Brotherhood for the victory. Instead he found that they were all staring at him in awed silence.

"What causalities?" Sarah asked, attempting to remain calm though her voice shook.

"Reddin and Jenkins, and a lot of brown pants." Colvin said.

"Enough jokes." Sarah took off her helmet. A flawless face and long blonde hair, Pegasus thought she looked like a propaganda model then a soldier. The fierce look in her eyes dismissed any of those notions. With a glance she took command of the situation. "We owe you thanks Local, what is your name so we can record your great victory?"

"The one who took out ten mutants in five seconds is Clover, the one standing there with the dumb look on his face is Jericho, the Gutsy is RL-3, and I'm Pegasus." He introduced.

"You're Pegasus? The one who gave Hoss a sentry bot and saved that idiot Pek?" Sarah said. "You're not what I thought you'd be."

"What were you expecting?"

"Either an old veteran or a young idiot, not both." Sarah explained staring intently at him.

It has his hair and he knew it, the greying seemed to have gotten worse, his hair was salt and pepper now. "I'm only nineteen." Smiling at the shocked look on her face.

"Well. You wanted to see Three Dog, so we'll let him know you're coming." She stammered before getting serious again. "I need to make funeral arrangements for paladin Reddin and knight Jenkins. Colvin! Escort Pegasus and his companions to Three Dog."

Sarah went over to the dumbfounded Brotherhood members and whipped them back into shape. They started working and fixing barricades and checking their guns. She reminded him of Amata, how she quickly assessed the situation and made a plan. Seeing her comfort, a shocked Brotherhood member. She was also firm but fair. Thinking her stare was more than just shock at his appearance, he found himself staring at her straw blonde hair as she went about.


	23. Chapter 23 The Good Fight

"It's him."

"Can you believe he killed it?"

"What about that girl? Is she his slave?"

"What slaver keeps their slaves armed and their backs turned?"

The Brotherhood inside GNR were whispering about him. They all stopped when he turned to looked at them, not sure if it was out of respect or fear.

"That was quite an accomplishment Pegasus." Colvin told him taking him upstairs.

"I was lucky there was a Fat Man nearby. What where you doing with that thing anyways?" Pegasus asked.

"The Fat Man belonged to Jenkins. When he found it we dismissed the thing as completely useless, yet he kept that thing on him at all times. Guess it had a use after all. But not that! you made Sarah lose her composure for a second, I'm a sniper I notice those things! Good job kid!" Colvin joked.

"She was just shocked that I'm so young. I know my hair makes me look older." Pegasus pulled at his grey hair, it had grown far passed Vault regulation. He was thinking of keeping it long, he always wanted to have a Grongak hairstyle. "How old is she anyways? She looks too young to be command of an elite squad?"

"At least you're asking me that. Never ask a woman here age unless you want to dodge a lot of thrown objects. She's twenty-seven by the way, and in command because she's earned it, not just because she's the elders daughter."

"The elder's the leader right?" A woman who proves her worth through merit and not nepotism. He was starting to see why he felt an attraction to her. Forcing himself to think of Amata, he barely heard Colvin say yes.

"Can the Brotherhood supply us with some guns and ammo?" Pegasus had more pressing things to worry about the Elders daughter.

"Seeing that you saved all our asses, I don't see a problem with that. Here, hold this."

Colvin handed him his sniper rifle, it looked like the same model Charlie used in the simulation. The gun had a bipod that doubled as a grip, remembering Charlie had always set it up before firing.

"That my winged friend is a DKS-501, well one of the older models." Colvin said. "Fires one of Granddad's specials."

".308 round. You've been taking good care of this, you giving it to me?" Pegasus asked.

"Hell no! That baby's mine!" Snatching the rifle back. "I'll give you one in storage though. Looked to me you needed a mutant buster. Seeing how your slave already packing one, figured a second would do you guys good."

"She's not my slave." Pegasus said bluntly.

"That collar says otherwise." Colvin pointed out. "You his slave miss?"

"He bought me." Clover answered.

"That's-." It would take way too long to explain his reasoning to Colvin. Besides he still wasn't sure what Clover would do once that collar was off. Would she leave, shoot him, go back to Eulogy? All of the above? "Just take us to Three Dog."

"Already here. And I'll be giving you your weapon shortly." Colvin said leaving them on a second floor door.

At the top of the floor, Pegasus thought that it looked as though someone had taken the command tent from Anchorage and transferred everything to this room. Communication equipment beeped in working order, a map of the Capital Wasteland, with markers pinned on places where Megaton and Tenpenny tower resided and other places. Music started playing, A man wearing a bandana, resting his feet on an old radio turned towards them, waved a warm welcome.

"The look on your face says it all. You're wondering who the heck this guy is and why you should care? Well, prepare to be enlightened." Three Dog moved towards them smiling, unlike Burke the dark glasses only made Three Dog's smile more welcoming. Pegasus put the dark skinned man somewhere in his mid-thirties.

"you're Three Dog? I've heard you on the radio." Pegasus said stupidly. shaking his hand, he wished Amata was here to say something a little more diplomatic than stating the obvious.

"And you must be the mythical creature I've heard about." Three Dog tilted his glasses, his brown eyes smiled with his grin. "Pegasus. You've been going all over the Wasteland from what I've heard. Take it you're weren't looking for me in the beginning? So now you come to my doorstep looking for answers?"

"Yes. Someone came to you several weeks ago, he prefers to go by his surname James. Is he still here?" Pegasus asked eagerly.

"You're looking for James huh? Wait a minute-you're his son aren't you! He told me he had left his kid in the Vault! Told me he had things he needed to finish out here. Took me a second, but man you look a lot like him."

Guess it was a good thing he was graying so quickly. "Is he still here!?"

"Nah. Your dad left not long after stopping by. He's out there fighting the Good Fight." Three Dog answered.

"Oh God. Shut the fuck up with that bullshit!" Jericho snapped.

"What's with your friend?" Three Dog asked.

"Nothing. He's just sober." Pegasus answered.

"Well if you're looking for a beer. Here's a cold one." Three Dog went over to the fridge, tossing a beer to Jericho who started drinking immediately. Pegasus noticed that his hands were shaking, and he seemed to be glancing between Pegasus and Three Dog. He passed out several bottles of Nuka-cola to everyone else. Surprisingly it hissed when he took off the cap.

Taking a sip, the tingly sweet liquid burned his parched throat as it went down. "So what's the Good Fight and what's my dad doing in it?" He asked drinking his fill.

"Well I'm glad you want to know!" Pegasus could tell that Three Dog was aching to tell him. "Imagine a picture okay? A picture of the Capital Wasteland. All that brick and rock, a whole lot of nothing right? There are people just trying to make it day to day, fighting to stay alive and make something of what they got. But then you got all kinds of shit… slavers, super mutants, raiders… they all want a slice of that pie to and they aim to take it by force."

"And if they take it they deserve it. If people don't want their shit taken they fight back." Jericho spat.

"They can't, not against those kinds of enemies. They just run away and hide or they stay and die. It just ain't right." Three Dog looked at the three of them. From Jericho' retort and Clovers slave collar, Pegasus guessed he was trying to figure out where they fit into the Good Fight.

"So you use GNR to try and fight the Good Fight, using the radio to broadcasts the going on in the Capital Wasteland. Pegasus stated.

"Well holy shit! You really are a chip off the old block! Your old man pretty much said the same thing." Three Dog smiled before continuing enthusiastically. "GNR is my gun, and my ammo is my voice. Someone needs to tell the people what's really happing out here in the Capital Wasteland. Gotta counter all that Enclave bullshit that Eden spouts. The Enclave keeps telling us about peace love, and the government while everything goes to shit. The people can't be waiting for Uncle Sam to come riding in to save the day, they need to hear the truth that only by working together can things ever get better."

"Words don't kill people, guns do." Jericho finished the beer and uninvitingly went to Three Dog's fridge.

"You're absolutely right. But words get more and more people to join your cause, all guns do is add more casualties to your side. By the way you can have another."

"Does it look like I'm asking?" Jericho slammed the fridge door.

"Man you have some serious brass. Treating your host badly like this while an entire platoon of Brotherhood of Steel are right below him. balls man."

"Yeah? And if they want to shoot me then can go right ahead!" Jericho chugged the beer before looking at it in disgust. "What the fucks this?"

"Got that from Moriarty's a couple years back, Called it his special blend. Local sheriff told me that meant he pissed in it. Been saving it to give to someone like you." Three Dog laughed.

Pegasus was expecting a blow up of loud swearing or a treat of shooting. Instead Jericho sat down in a chair, a defeated look in his eyes that was unlike him.

"From what you've told me about the Good Fight, it sounds a lot like what someone once told me is 'Good Mojo'. So we can work together on that premise, so can you tell me where my dad went?"

"Now hold on their kid. You guys seem to me to be something that GNR needs." Three Dog said. "I saw you take out that Behemoth, hell I saw her for my top window take out ten mutants in a row! You guys made the Brotherhood look like chumps and that's not something easy to do." Three Dog paused before continuing. "I've heard about you Pegasus, the Brotherhood talked about how you saved one of there patrols. I've also heard about how someone calling themselves Pegasus, who visited Tenpenny Tower and somehow managed to get the high and mighty Alistair Tenpenny to let the ghouls in. Course Tenpenny had a fatal heart attack not long afterword's, but according to his doctor, it was via overdose of Buffout."

"Tenpenny wanted the ghouls in as useful servants or things he could hunt for sport. I didn't kill him though. He was an oversexed, over drugged old man." Pegasus left out how Roy killed Tenpenny and he'd killed Roy. If the ghouls and humans in Tenpenny Tower were living together, then that was a secret he'd be carrying to his grave.

"I know that. And believe me nobody would be crying if you did kill the old bastard. But stories like that and you rescuing the Brotherhood can give people hope for the next day, that someone out there is fighting the Good Fight and making a difference."

"So you want me to fix your radio signal for you, so people can hear about the Good Fight?" Figured Pegasus. "Why not have the Brotherhood do that for you?"

"The Brotherhood sparing all they can just to protect me. You don't know how many people want to put a bullet between my eyes for what I've got to say." Three Dog countered. "The problems been the Good Fight is always on the short end of the battle. Always we have to scrap by against the darkness that threatens to overrun us."

"Stop with the poetics, and tell me what you need?" Pegasus said.

"Sorry. So used to thinking people hear my voice that they already know. Some asshole super mutant thought it would be smart to shoot up my radio dish at the Washington Monument. Couple holes wouldn't have been so bad if the thing didn't fall hundreds of feet up. Without that all I got is the weak signal at GNR. Hear it okay within the city limits but the further out you go, nothing buy snake country." Three Dog made hissing noises. "There's an old replica of the Virgo II lunar lander in the Museum of Technology at the strip mall. I need you guys to get it and install it at the top of the monument."

"If it was that easy you'd done it. What's the catch?"

"You are smart. The catch is that the entire place is a super mutant battlefield. Trenches stretch all the way from the Washington Monument to the Capitol Building. Dozens of the Frankensteins patrol that area, and even the Brotherhood has to be careful not to invoke their anger." Three Dog took off his sunglasses, a look of pity ad desperation on his eyes. "Look I know I'm asking a lot. GNR is my baby, I feed it, love it, change its diapers. But that doesn't matter if nobody can hear it grow. Pegasus, will you help me bring truth and hope to the Wasteland?"

It seemed like everywhere he went he got dragged into someone else's problems, but without Three Dog he'd never known that his dad was still alive. Three Dog made a point about how people needing to work together. Megaton was quite the town because all the people chipped in to make it work, and Tenpenny Tower didn't become so great because of one man, no matter how much Tenpenny would've said otherwise. All his life he'd been helping and being helped by others, and because of that he was still standing.

"Alright Three Dog, I'll help you out in the Good Fight." Pegasus agreed. Seeing a problem down the line he wanted to get solved quickly. "Do me a huge favor Three Dog, if your signal goes back up. Don't tell anyone I'm James's Son, or that I'm from Vault 101. I think I've pissed off a fair number of people in my time out here." Mojo had told him that people would try and hunt down those he loved for payback against him, and if Three Dog was going to be telling tales about him, the last thing he needed was either his dad or the Vault in danger.

"I understand your concerns pal. I'll try my best to keep that a secret. Now I gotta go let Lyons and Margaret know the deal. Galaxy News Radio's gonna be howling again! Owww!" Three Dog headed downstairs, a little jump in his step.

Clover looked disappointed and Jericho pissed. "Why are you doing this Lover? Three Dog just using you to get what he wants, he'll be just like Tenpenny and dangle this over your head the entire time!"

"No he won't." Pegasus was sure that Three Dog was man of his word.

"You actually believe in that Good Fight nonsense?" Jericho said, "Means so much when the pussy's hiding in this fortress with an army of Brotherhood members guarding his ass!"

"Not everyone's cut out to be a fighter Jericho." Pegasus said. Thinking of his dad the doctor, and Amata the politician. "Three Dog uses his voice to fight. We use our guns."

"No, you use your gun to fight the Good Fight! I use my gun to make a living!" Jericho shouted. "I'm fucking sick of this bullshit! Hanging out with you is nothing more than going to one hellhole to the next!"

"Are you afraid Jericho?" Pegasus spat.

"Not of that-of you!" Jericho screeched. "We first met, you kicked my ass! Not the first ass whopping I've ever had, but I couldn't even hit you! Then on the road to Paradise you go toe to toe with a Frankenstein with a Gatling gun and win! You break out slaves under Eulogy's nose and buy one of his favorite bitches to boot! Who by the way is one scary broad on your side! Ya killed Moriarty and got away with it. You help out some crazy woman with her stupid plan and didn't die. You helped out a kid from fire fuck demon ants for no reason and still won! You save Brotherhood fucks, something I've never heard of ever happening to them! Fight off both Freaks and bandits, and beat Junders one on one! Then just to fucking come here, you fight your way through even more yellow fucks, and when the fucking behemoth showed up you didn't even flinch! I shit myself when that thing roared. But no! you just go over pick up a rocket launcher and take the fucking thing out like it was nothing! What the fuck are you!?"

Jericho stopped to catch his breath. Pegasus wasn't sure how to respond, Jericho wasn't finished though.

"When that asshole threatened to sic the Brotherhood on me, I realized that I felt safer dealing with them then I do with you. You scare the fuck out of me Pegasus. I don't now whatever kind of hell you're looking to conquer but I don't want no part in it."

"I don't want to conquer hell; I just want to find my dad." Pegasus answered. "It's just been…complicated."

"You've done more in the past few days then the hardest raiders do in years. And all of this is just to find daddy? What's your real angle Pegasus?"

"My angle is to find my dad! But it's just not in me to leave people when I know I can help! You fight only for yourself? Fine! Tell me again were that has go you?! Nowhere and you know it! My helping has lead me here, and my helping will lead me to my dad."

"Yeah, and you're nowhere closer to finding him then you where weeks ago! The fuck you got out of it?" Jericho sneered.

"Lots! Got a house, got a robot, something I've wanted since I was a child, got many friends who I support and support me. Tell me who supports you? The only person I can think of who's looking after your wellbeing is me!"

Jericho's face contorted in rage, for a second it looked like he was going to draw on him. Pegasus's hand fell close to his pistol. Jericho laughed at the situation.

"What's the point? The fuck this old fuck compared to that behemoth?" Jericho mused. "You said I can leave you whenever right? Well I'm stopping here. Don't want anymore trouble with you. And if the Brotherhood wats to blow my head off, not like I'm losing anything." Jericho sipped at the beer piss and smiled.

A great swell of pity towards how empty Jericho's life truly was filled Pegasus. If the only comfort he could find was in a bottle of fermented piss, what kind of life was that?

"You four ready to go?" Sarah said. She had stripped her power armor, wearing plain pants and a simple shirt that shaped her muscular form. A sniper rifle on her back, Three Dog stood behind her.

"It's just going to be three. Jericho want to stay here." Pegasus told them.

Sarah looked furious at Jericho. "You're just going to leave your comrade when he needs you!?"

"Yep." Jericho stated.

"He's already helped enough. It's not fair to ask more of him." Pegasus said. "Can he stay her for a while?"

"I was going to offer you guys a place to crash if you needed it. Guess he's already taking up the offer." Three Dog tried to sound cheerful but it sounded to forced.

"Here." Sarah said handing him the rifle and several rounds. "Take these as well." Forcing a pair of glasses in his hands. "The Pride painted signs pointing to the quickest path to the Mall, but the paint only shows on a certain spectrum."

"It'll take you right next to Underworld. The city of ghouls." Three Dog chimed. "Willow is the local guard there. Tell her Three Dog sent you, she'll let you in."

Sarah scoffed. "Ghouls are nothing more than living reminders of the mistakes of the past. Don't let them know you're with the Brotherhood, we don't see eye to eye."

"That won't be a problem, I'm not with the brotherhood." Pegasus answered.

"Take care. It's a one-way trip." She snapped. "The Pride needs to get ready for the next mission: Scribe Rothchild has us picking up every blinking gismo from here to Virginia."

She left in a huff. Pegasus stood there confused. "Did I do something to piss her off?"

"I think you insulted the Brotherhood by saying you're not a member." Three Dog said. "You did kind of show them all up by taking out that behemoth."

"What did she mean by one-way trip?" Pegasus asked.

"The back way is the path you're going to have to take. It was destroyed to make it so you can leave, but you can't enter. You're going to have to find another way to get back here." Three Dog explained. "When you get to Underworld, find a ghoul named Quinn, he's been all over and knows the D.C ruins better than anyone else. He'll lead you guys back here."


	24. Chapter 24 Underworld Guide

Shaking his empty canteen, he hoped that Underworld would have clean flowing water. Or at least stuff he'd be able to clean easily. Clover looked just as parched.

Twice they had been attacked by packs of feral ghouls, the first time hadn't been so bad, only a half dozen chased after them. The second though there had been possibly triple that amount, running and gunning their way through the metro tunnels following the Prides markings. Finally, they had reached the final mark where the setting sun silhouetted against the gate.

"Thought you liked helping ghouls?" Clover joked. she swallowed hard, dehydration was making her throat clinch.

" _COMMANDER WITH ALL OF THESE ATTACKS BY THESE SO CALLED GHOULS, AND WITH THAT COMMUNIST WE FOUND IN THE INFILTRATORS BASE. THIS IS CLEARLY A COMMUNIST TRAP!"_ Rl-3 stated. " _THAT DAMN PRISONER LED US DOWN HERE TO GET US KILLED!"_

"It's not a trap, and Jericho's not smart enough to use ferals as weapons." Pegasus however did miss having an extra gun on hand. For all his faults, Jericho was a pretty good shot.

" _SIR! IS YOUR INTEL CERTAIN THAT THIS ISN'T ANOTHER COMMUNIST BASE? GHOUL SEEMS TO BE THE NEW CODE WORD FOR COMMUNIST!"_

"This isn't a communist base! Don't confuse correlation with causation RL-3. Just because every other ghoul you've seen happens to be communist doesn't mean they all are."

" _LIKE LIEUTENANT CLOVERS ASIAN ANCESTRY DOESN'T AUTOMATICALLY MAKE HER CHINESE! STILL NOT SURE IF SHE'S A RED BLOODED AMERICAN GIRL!"_

RL-3 probably meant it as a compliment, but from everything Pegasus had seen of the Commonwealth of America, he would've felt slightly insulted.

The grounds in front of them looked almost like a replica of the trenches in the final Anchorage mission. Unlike the pristine white fields of untouched snow however, the blood caked dirt showed signs of countless fighting and bodies had fallen and been removed. The red tinged sun made the entire field look as through it ran with blood.

"Hold it! State you're business in the mall!"

Definitely a ghoul by the raspiest of their voice. Turning to find a ghoulish woman pointing a laser rifle at them. "We're here to stop at Underworld." Pegasus answered.

"A tourist? Haven't had one of those in a while. So what brings you to the Mall?"

"I just told you?" Pegasus said confusingly.

"Yeah right. No smoothskin ever stops at Underworld. You're not with the Brotherhood, so what are you here for tourist?"

"Three Dog sent us! We're heading to the Museum of Technology. but we're running on empty right now. Willow."

"Nice to see Three Dog sending tourist our way. He's one of the only people who could've told you my name." Willow said putting away here gun and lighting a cigarette. "Come here to take the sights and eat some of the local cuisine. Stop by Carols for food and water. Tulip runs the outfitter; she'll get you supplies. If you're looking for a fix talk to Ahzrukhal. If you're looking to get fixed talk to Barrows. Enjoy the Mall tourists."

"Heard this place is a super mutant battleground. Aren't you worried about getting attacked?" Pegasus asked.

Willow shook her head. "They don't bother us Ghouls unless we bother them first. Makes this place almost perfect except for those Brotherhood assholes that like to shoot at us. Or those Talon bastards trying to muscle their way into Underworld."

"where is Underworld?"

Willow pointed her thump to the building behind her. "Tourist!"

Three Dog said it was going to be close, he didn't expect right at the doorstep. The worn sign above the entrance said Museum of History. The smell inside made both of them gag. The rotting smell of meat was amplified to a nearly intolerable level. The round welcoming table of the museums' hall didn't have a ghoul in sight. Pegasus forced them to stay so their noses could get used to the smell, they didn't need to offend anyone. the only working lights were around an entryway, the form of a large skull, across the forehead read _: journey through the Underworld._

"That's comforting." He mumbled.

When they entered, dozens of ghouls stopped to star at the smoothskin visitors. Uncomfortable seconds passed, the rotting forms of the ghouls' stares made it feel like they'd stepped into a horror movie, and nobody knew which part they had.

"Hi!" Pegasus said aloud smiling and waving. Clover looked incredulously at him. The ghouls however, mumbled something that may have been a greeting and went about their business.

"Hi? That's the great greeting of Pegasus? No saving the town, no killing a giant monster?" Clover joked.

" _SCANNING…TARGET IS ARMED. CODE YELLOW! CERBERUS RUNNING PATROL SCHEME ALPHA-FOUR"_

Cerberus turned out to be a Gutsy that had it's saw blade and flamethrower removed, replaced with plasma casters.

" _ATTENTION SMOOTHSKINS!"_ Cerberus stopped in front of them. " _WOULD YOU KINDLY REMOVE MY COMBAT INHIBITOR SO I CAN BLAST ALL THESE ZOMBIE FREAKS TO HELL!"_

"No." Pegasus said cautiously.

" _DAMN YOU PANSY ZOMBIE LOVING BASTARD!"_ Cerberus flew within an inch of his nose. _"THEN DO SOMETHING SO I KILL AT LEAST ONE OF YOU!"_

"Cerberus! Heel boy!" A ghoul in a worn jumpsuit shouted. The name 'Winthrop' on the name tag. "Sorry about that. We've got him running but his programming makes him want to kill anything that isn't him. We got him trained not to attack ghouls or tourists."

"Broke him and made him your own. Sounds familiar." Clover said through gritted teeth. "Lover, can we get something to drink now?"

"Carols Place is the best for smoothskins like you. Go to the Ninth Circle if you're looking to destroy your livers." Winthrop told them. "Say, you wouldn't happen to have any scrap metal or electronic equipment on you?"

"Just RL-3, and you can't have him." Pegasus said.

"Damn. This place is always on the verge of falling apart and I'm the one that always has to fix it!" Winthrop said walking away grumbling. Pegasus thought he should introduce him to Winston, they'd become fast friends.

"so to Carols?" Pegasus asked.

"No I want a fricking drink!" Clover shouted. Her face twisted in horror at what she said and became meek. "If that's okay with you Daddy-Lover?"

"That's fine by me." Pegasus was glad that she was voicing her opinion more often. Her collar could come off soon.

The Ninth Circle as filled with chattering, clinking glasses, laughter, and music. For a city of zombies these people were more lively than any other bar he'd been in. Many of the patrons seemed content drinking and playing cards. one very tall red-haired ghoul leaning against the wall scanning the patrons as though looking for any wrong doing. his black leather jacket covered thin combat armor, thick black boots and black leather pants gave Pegasus the impression of a greaser like the Tunnel Snakes tried to imitate, though actually intimidating.

"Excuse me- "Pegasus tried to address him.

He turned his pointed face to look at him. "Talk to Ahzrukhal." His ice blue eyes sent a chill through Pegasus body.

"But- "

"Talk. To. Ahzrukhal." He punctuated nodding to the ghoul behind the bar. his hand casually going to his side. Where a lever-action, sawed-off shotgun was holstered.

Taking the hint, they sat at the bar.

Ahzrukhal wore a white pin stripped suit so clean it looked as though he'd never been in the Wasteland, through his ghoulish form would say otherwise. "Well don't you two look absolutely…miserable." His voice deep and coarse. Ahzrukhal smiled, taking out two glasses. "Spend some caps and tell uncle Ahzrukhal all about it."

"Whisky if you got it." Clover answered. "If that's alright with you Lover?"

"Yeah. Water for me if you got it." Pegasus said.

"Do I look like Greta?" Ahzrukhal sounded insulted. "I specialize in making people forget about their misery. Water doesn't cut that!"

"Scotch then."

"Good! Drink until she's pretty!" Ahzrukhal joked. taking the caps out, Ahzrukhal looked too intently at all the caps he had on him. "You don't look like a high roller. What brings you out here?"

"Business." Not trusting Ahzrukhal, he wasn't going to explain why he really as here. "Stopping here for supplies and looking for someone names Quinn, I need a guide through the ruins." Pegasus and Clover both drank, and started gagging at how bad it was.

"sorry. Forgot you smoothskins can't take two-hundred-year-old booze." He laughed. "Well if you're looking for a guide then I got just the person for you." Ahzrukhal pointed to the ghoul in black. "Charon's my personal bouncer and go to guy for whatever it is I need. Tell him what to do and he does it. The best help a corrupt bartender could ask for!"

Not sure if Ahzrukhal was joking or not. "like what?" Pegasus asked.

"Sometimes I need supplies for my stock, and he goes out and acquires it for me. Or someone wants to be wise and not pay up or try and open a tab? Charon ruffs them up a bit no questions asked. He'll do anything as long as you hold his contract."

"Like a slave?"

"Don't insult me! Charon's not a slave. He's my personal servant that came into my possession because of his doing. It's his fault he's in my employ and I use him to the best of my abilities." He looked at Clover. "You seem to know all about the buying and trading of people. Hypocrite."

"She's not a slave! Clover do you want your collar off?" The question forced its way out of his mouth

"No." Clover drank the whiskey that would've scared Jericho.

"See? She wears that for fashion." Pegasus realized how stupid he sounded but kept a straight face.

"Slavers do like targeting women, especially if they're ripe." Ahzrukhal said. "Back to business: Charon knows the ins and outs of the D.C ruins. so for two-thousand caps, I'll sell you his contract!"

"I'll give you a thousand for it." Ahzrukhal laughed in his face. An idea took hold of him. "Let me tell you why only that." He explained why he was here and how if GNR would be able to broadcast again, the Ninth Circle could get a lot of free advertising on how they were the ones who helped get GNR working again.

"Also the roads get safer and that mean more business." Pegasus finished. It wasn't the best debate he'd ever done. If Amata was here she'd be able to convince him to give up the contract for free.

"You make an interesting point. Alright a thousand cap down payment, with a promise return of countless miserable customers!" With a quick exchange of caps and paper. Charon was his.

"Talk to- "

"Charon slow down. I've got good news, I'm your new employer." Pegasus showed him the paper contract.

"You purchased my contract form Ahzrukhal? I am no longer in his service? This is good to know. Please wait here, I need to take care of something."

Charon went behind the bar, Ahzrukhal smiled and held out his hand as though offering goodbye. Charon drew his shotgun and turned Ahzrukhal head into bits. With one hand he chambered another round and fired into his corpse. The other patrons screamed in shock and horror, then noticing that it was Ahzrukhal that had been killed went back to their drinks.

"Alright we can go now." Charon stoically said.

"What the fuck was that!" Pegasus was shocked at the murder and by the callousness of the patrons.

"Ahzrukhal was an evil bastard. As long as he held my contract I was honor bound to serve. But now that you are my employer, it gave me free rein to rid the world of that evil rat bastard. Now for good or ill, I'll serve you."

"Looks like your slave ownership just went up." Clover joked.

"I belong to no one, slave. I am merely being employed." Charon rebutted.

A slave, a robot, then a drunken raider, and now a contract killer. Pegasus wondered who else he'd be gathering in his motley crew.

"So what you're looking for is a mutant buster?" Tulip said. The ghoulish proprietor of underworld outfitters had to put pressure on her throat in order to be heard.

She rummaged behind the counter. All kinds of guns hanged from the wall, along with mannequins with worn old combat armor was on display. Weapons and armor weren't the only things that she was selling, over the years the ghouls had gone through the ruined museums and sold or collected things of unique value. Tulip had all kinds of books and items for sell, the most interesting was the collection of Lincoln memoir with a poster of the Lincoln memorial in the background.

"Here we are. Quinn just got these from a ferryman who travels the coast." Tulip handed him a lever action rifle. "These thing here uses .44 magnum rounds, hold ten rounds in a tube magazine. More than enough to stop a mutant, as long as you know how to shoot it."

The gun reminded him of his old BB gun, putting it up to his shoulder, aiming at the mannequin, he pumped it and didn't lose his target.

"The levers a little rough." Pegasus looked and saw that it was slightly rusted.

"Well he did get them out of a swamp." Tulip said. "I'll sell it to you for a hundred-twenty. Magnum rounds are three caps a piece, and if the weapon doesn't save your life you can return it for a refund."

It was much easier to use then the cumbersome sniper rifle, and its familiarity towards the BB gun meant he'd could get used to this thing pretty quick. He bought it and forty rounds, the money he'd gotten back from Ahzrukhal corpse. Buying ammo for Clovers guns, he offered the sniper rifle to Charon.

"As my employer, I will use any weapon you require of me." Charon said taking the thing. Checking it over as though it was second nature to him. "This weapon is in good shape."

"You think I'd give you crap to fight with?" Pegasus asked.

"I've only known you for the past ten minutes." Charon stated.

"You can tell me about your past, so we can know each other better?" He suggested.

"My contract does not require me to share personal relations with my employer. Only to obey their commands."

"for someone claiming not to be a slave, you sure as hell sound like the perfect one." Clover hissed.

"Your collar indicates that you are an expert in the slave trade, via being part of it." Charon quipped.

"Both of you! Please don't shoot each other." Pegasus couldn't order them to stop. He wasn't there owner. But if these was a sample of things to come he didn't want to be dodging bullets from his own allies.

Heading to the disturbingly named 'Chop Shop', finding five in the makeshift hospital, two ghouls, an orange haired human passed out on one of the medical beds, and two other ghouls in a glowing green room behind clear glass.

Pegasus noticed the glass room didn't have any lights, the green glow seemed to be emanating from the ghouls themselves. Touching the glass finding it hot.

"Careful there smoothskin. Those ghouls give out enough radiation to give you a tan." The ghoulish doctor warned him. "Unless of course you're donating parts?"

His pip-boy didn't warn him of dangerous levels of radiation. "You made the room radiation proof to prevent whatever it is making them glow from escaping." Pegasus figured. "And what do you mean by donating parts?" he looked at the unconscious woman in the bed.

"Relax. I'm not helping myself to her or you two smoothies." The ghoul turned to the two glowing ones. "Strange aren't they? Whatever turns necrotic post-humans into a feral, also causes the neurological systems of the body cease filtering out the radioactive materials that build up in the bloodstream. Causing the creatures, you see before you." The doctor smiled crookedly at him. "But I guess you didn't understand a word I said?"

"A feral ghouls' nervous system stops cleansing radioactive materials from their bloodstream, causing a massive build up of radioactive material. Hence their glow, and the reason you have thick radiation proof glass." Pegasus said.

"Hot damn. And here I pegged you from some hired gun." The ghoul offered his hand. "Dr. Barrows. That's nurse Graves tending to our one patient over there."

Nurse graves wore a type of nurse outfit that he'd only seen in Stanley's lingerie catalogs. Short skirt and low revealing neckline. It left little to the imagination, though the image involved necrotic flesh.

"Hello their smoothie." Graves said in what could passed for sultry. "Don't let my looks fool you. I'm a fully qualified nurse." She checked the patient. "She remains stabilized, but comatose."

"A shame, I was kind of hoping to dissect her." Barrows said. Seeing the disgusting look on Pegasus face. "Oh shut up. I'm a doctor first and a scientist second. I'll treat anyone who comes in here to the best of my abilities. But I need fresh samples of non-necrotic human tissue, something made us ghouls the way we are and I intend to find out what."

"I think I met a scientist at Tenpenny tower that's looking into the same thing. Maybe you can compare notes?" Pegasus said.

"Really? That wonderful! Here I thought I was the only one who cared." Barrows smiled.

Barrows was surprisingly chipper as Pegasus got some more medical supplies from him. that there were fellow researchers out here seemed to put a jump in his step. the medical supplies were even clean.

They had all the supplies needed to continue. Now all they needed was to get themselves ready for the journey. They were tired, hungry, and the alcohol had made their thirst even worse. Carol's Place looked like an old art gallery converted into a rest stop. Shower curtains were used as privacy screens to the cots where someone was already sleeping.

"If you're looking for a bed come to the counter to pay." A ghoulish woman shouted. "I'm Carol. If you need something to eat, Greta can make it for you. Though it may be a little hard going down for you smoothskins."

"Carol, you know a ghoul named Gob?" Pegasus asked as they all sat down at the counter. He ordered food and a pitcher of water, the pitcher alone cost him seventy caps.

"Gob? Yes, he's my son." Carol said. "Well not my real son, we can't do that anymore... but he's as close to a son as we can get. Do you know him?"

"Yes. He helped us get here. And I helped him out with a business." Pegasus said filling up his canteen. He'd paid for another pitcher. "He owns his own tavern now. Even has himself two human girls who help run the place."

"Really!?" Carol beamed with pride. "Oh Gobby, so nice to hear him making it out in the world! I was so afraid he'd become a slave or die out there! Thank you, that's some of the best news I've heard in decades!"

Greta the cook, was just as ghoulish as everyone else in Underworld, prepared their food on an open grill. Grilling up radroaches shell and all. Though she wore gloves, nothing was ever making those things clean to eat. She put down three plates of radroach meat that looked like pus in a shell.

"So what did you mean by best news you've heard in decades?" Pegasus knew he needed to eat this, but wanted to stall eating the disgusting thing.

"When you get as old as I do you, good news doesn't come by often."

"How old are you? I know I shouldn't be asking a woman that question." Pegasus said quickly.

"Hope you're not trying to flirt with me, you're not going to get anywhere." Carol said coyly.

"No just curious."

"I was twenty-six when the bombs fell. So now…two hundred and twenty-six. I'm a pre-war ghoul." Carol said smiling. Though it faded at the shocked look on his face. "You're shocked by that?"

Pegasus nodded. Remembering Michael saying he as a scientist before ghoulification, and Roy claiming to be a cop. He'd just assumed that they were just things they did before becoming what they were. He didn't imagine that they'd been that way for decades' or centuries.

Carol went onto a long tangent telling how she'd been with her father in a shelter before the bombs fell. Not being able to get into a Vault, they weren't protected from the radiation fallout. After a few weeks' survivors had started gathering together. Sometime after that, peoples' skin started to peel and flak off. some went mad, others like Carol had just accepted it and lived on. They were the first residents of the Underworld, and the place has grown around them since.

"Are all ghouls that old?" Pegasus asked, looking at Charon stuffing his face with radroach meat, wondering just how long he'd been under Ahzrukhal control?

"Not all. Some of us are post-war ghouls like Mr. Crowley, our longest resident." Carol pointedto a sleeping silhouette. "You're the first person that seemed interested in my story, made telling it for the zillionth time actually worthwhile."

The radroach had become cold during her story, forcing a spoonful in his mouth, Moira had said it tasted like old feet but he thought his shoe would taste better. Repeating the mantra that insects carry a lot of protein and nutrition he forced himself to eat the whole thing until only the shell was left.

Buying three beds, Carl gave him a small discount on account of being the bearer of good news. Setting the pip-boy alarm to go off in three hours, they'd use the cover of darkness to hopefully slip pass the trenches unnoticed. Though he'd met several humans well into their sixties and seventies, Seeing the outlines of the ghouls he wondered if ghoulification was the fate of everyone outside a Vault sooner or later.


	25. Chapter 25 Radio Free Wasteland

"Be cautious."

Charon lead him through the trenches. The night sky was nothing but clouds and darkness making seeing anything nearly impossible. He hoped that the super mutants were in the same dilemma.

It was just Charon and Pegasus going through the trenches. The Museum of Technology was on the same strip as Underworld, only across the street. Though with how many mutants were here it may as well have been on the other coast.

" _SENSORS DETECT FORTY-SEVEN SO CALLED SUPER MUTANTS WITHIN 200 METERS!"_ Rl-3 had told him before they walked across the trenches. Thinking it would be suicide bringing all four of them through the battlefield he'd left RL-3 and Clover at Underworld.

The clouds parted, shining the trenches in moonlight. Two super mutants with miniguns on their backs were on top of a hill looking down for trespassers. Pegasus pushed himself against the walls. Charon didn't even move. The clouds covered the moon putting them in darkness again.

If the mutants saw them, they would've been hearing it by now. They made across the street onto the cracked sidewalk. Charon moved them to a small alley making sure the coast was clear. The copper smell of blood filled the alley as though someone had recently been killed.

"Next move we get to the museum. Don't get spotted." Charon whispered.

"I don't want to die either." Pegasus whispered back.

"My life is irrelevant. My contract states that I am to give my life for you in any matter, including suicide inducing tasks such as this one."

Pegasus wondered if sarcasm was a clause in the contract as well? He'd tried reading the contract earlier, but the scribbling was so small, faded, and messy that it was nearly impossible to read the thing. Only making out terms such as 'unyielding loyalty', and 'void on violence on part of clients'.

Charon moved and Pegasus followed, not a sound was heard except for the distant grunting of super mutants. It sounded as though they were talking to each other. He almost wanted to stay and listen to hear their social interactions, could be useful information down the line.

Charon opened the museum door to flooding lights, something neither one of them expected. Miraculously the mutants didn't seem to notice, or if they didn't care. The hall lights of the museum were working revealing the decaying technology that had been left behind from years of scavenging.

"Did the mutants prep this place?" Pegasus wondered aloud.

"The super mutants have never indicated that they are capable of electrical repair that this museum would require, boss." Charon answered.

So they might not be alone in here after all. Looking around, one of the stairways had collapse, the other looked like it could hold them. On the ceiling above the welcoming desk, noticing a camera, the light on it was blinking.

"We need to find the security room. Whoever prepped this place got the electricity running for those cameras." Pegasus pointed. Readying the rifle, he hoped the insolation of the museum would stop any gunshots being heard outside.

Pegasus couldn't help but read some of the still eligible displays. The place wasn't really an achieve of technology, as it was an archive of war. Every display he could read showed the history of American weapons; The Springfield rifles used in the American civil war. The plane display, falling to pieces above them was a fighter plane. A humorous error one, that said that the m199 rifle series was the weapon of choice of rifles for the army, when it was the R91-series. Guess the museum got destroyed before they updated.

Down the upper hall, it appeared to suddenly go from ruined plaster to solid rock. As they approached he saw the familiar outline of a gear shaped vault doorway.

" _Vault-Tec welcomes you to our new line of subterranean vaults!"_

The lights suddenly flared up and the voice made both of them jump ad ready their weapons. The automatic tour was somehow working. Giving a small laugh at their jumpiness, seeing no other way through except through the vault they started walking through. The yellow alarms started going off as the tour continued prattling on how the door could withstand an atomic blast. Pegasus was glad the alarm didn't become a super mutant dinner bell.

going through, the tour guide kept talking about how great the vault was at protecting the people and how just like the outside it really was. How the Sim-U-Sun lights gave the feeling of actual sunlight, Pegasus disagreed, the Vault lights paled in comparison to the actual sun. The tour was also hyberboling a lot of the vaults workings; saying how the floors self-cleaned when you had to sweep and throw everything away into the recycler or incinerator. How the living spaces were large enough to hold a family of four for everyone in the vault? the only people that had that much space was the overseer, most people had been lucky just to get a two bedroom at a quarter of the size that the display was showing. He laughed when it displayed a separate kitchen, saying how each living space came with their own kitchen that was a breeze to clean. 101 had the community kitchen only, and that was a bitch to clean if it got messy. The only thing that sounded remotely true was the Eye-On-You cameras, talking how the Overseer would watch your every move.

" _Should the unlikely even arise that the planet is laid to waste. You'll feel happy knowing your family will be safe in a Vault-Tec vault!"_

"My dad's going to be upset then." Pegasus said aloud to himself. His dad had lived his life out here. His dad could've stayed safely in the Vault along with him, and yet he still went back out to the planet laid to waste. Pegasus realized then that he himself was proof that life still went on in the wasteland, like the flowers in the grave, he had been born in this ruined world. "I'm happier knowing the Vaults weren't the only thing that kept life. We were right Amata."

"Who's Amata?" Charon asked. "Is she another ally?"

"A lot more than that." Pain hit his heart. He wanted to hear what she had to say about the Vaults glorification. He wished she was at his side right now exploring the wasteland together. The image of them exploring the mall, not with mutants or trenches, but as two nineteen year olds looking, exploring, and eating in peace surrounded by flowers like in the old holo-films came into his head.

"I don't think your mistress Clover would approve." Charon said.

"She's not my mistress!" Pegasus said the pleasant thought pushed out of his head. Though that would be a pleasant dream, it was only a dream. Reality was talking to a contract killing ghoul in a mutant infested wastes. "She just calls me 'Lover', we're not actual lovers!"

"Boss, it would be unwise to raise your voice in this place." Charon stoically said.

Shutting up, he had a job to do and needed to see it through. The next room was somehow more damaged then the last, unfortunately the nets of super mutant captures were hanging from the ceiling filled with the bones of past victims. Seeing a light, it looked the security room was directly head on the second floor. A service hall led him to a locked door.

"Damn. Can you open this?" Pegasus asked.

"How?" Charon asked.

"Pick the lock?"

Charon pulled out tools from his pocket and in a few second the door clicked open. Not asking why he was carrying a lock pick set on him, it did make Pegasus wonder just what the hell he did for Ahzrukhal?

Whoever set this place up didn't spare any expense. The terminals were working and nearly every camera was working except for a few that showed static. Mutants could be seen on nearly every screen. Counting at least twenty of them, most of them were in a room marked 'planetarium' staring at the ceiling. Others seemed to have gathered around a stairway winding around a model rocket. On one screen was the Virgo II, with its radio dish still on display.

No way could they sneak their way passed all of them. There was a slim chance they might be able to fight them all, but he'd prefer powered armor support and heavy weaponry. The rifles might do, but he hadn't had the chance to try out his yet. These mutants were between him and the answers he sought. There had to be a way. He looked at Charon and it dawned on him.

"Willow said super mutants don't attack ghouls right?" Pegasus mostly said it to himself, but wanted to Charon to confirm it.

"They don't see a reason to bother us, correct." Charon answered. That was enough.

"Charon. I need you to got to the Virgo display and get that radio dish." Pegasus pointed to the monitor. "Think you can do it?"

"Contract states that I am to obey every command by my employer. I will retrieve the radio dish for you." Charon stated putting his guns on the counter.

"Aren't you going to need those?" Pegasus asked.

"Though the super mutants leave ghouls alone. They may still attempt to take weapons that catch their eye from us." Charon said mechanically.

Pegasus thought that RL-3 had more personality as Charon left. Looking at the monitors, Charon appeared on one. As soon as he turned the hall, he'd be by the rocket where two mutants where in sight. Charon appeared on the monitor and the mutants looked at him…and did nothing.

Gasping in shock. The mutants ignored Charon as we walked right passed them. Casually going down the stairs to the Virgo II. One of the mutants pointed where Charon went and the other gave a belly laugh. Pegasus couldn't believe it. Charon walked by another that didn't even break stride. What made ghouls so special that the mutants would ignore them like that?

Other than the obvious, but perhaps that was really the only thing? Maybe they only attack humans and robots? Then again, every time he'd seen the mutants attack the robots, a human was their also. That still didn't explain the strange behavior. It didn't seem territorial, and from the looks of how they operated in the museum they weren't expanding. What the hell were the super mutants really doing then? Nothing about them made sense.

Charon was at the Virgo II taking the dish off. Everything was going smoother than he expected. Hell if he'd known that the mutants would've ignored Charon he'd just sent him. Then again as Charon said, he'd only known him not even a night, yet he'd done something that any other person probably would've shot Pegasus for asking. What made Charon that way? Taking out the scribbled contract, he tried to read it once more, but gave up looking at the scribble. Had Charon memorized everything on it? Could he tell Pegasus everything on the contract? Had Pegasus already done something to warrant his head getting blown off?

Looking at the monitors, he saw something that made his heart stop. Close to the entrance on the second floor were two Stealth Boys, they'd walked right passed them! RobCo stealth boy 3001's were portable stealth devices like the Chinese dragoon armor. From what he'd read they were mass produced portable stealth fields that were good for one use only. Not as useful as the Chinese armor with it's personal stealth field, but a lot less cumbersome. And if he could get them, he thought he'd be able to install them onto his pip-boy, maybe even get the thing to be repeatable.

Charon had the dish and was returning to the security room, the mutants let him go about his business. Pegasus was still having trouble believing it.

"I have return with the object you seek. Is there anything else you require of me?" Charon asked holding the dish out.

"keep that thing safe, we need to get to the Washington Monument." Pegasus couldn't hide his excitement, everything was going so well!

"And then?"

He'd forgotten that Charon didn't know. "I'll explain when it's safe. Let's go."

Heading back through the show Vault, all they had to do is make a quick stop and get the two Stealth Boys and head out. They were standing on the pedestals like prizes in an ancient temple. Hearing the door open, several mutants grunted their way into through the hall.

"Charon, run ahead to the Washington monument. Be as loud as you can without shouting." Pegasus whispered. He'd have to burn one of these things, if they even still worked.

"Yes boss." Charon didn't require and explanation. He darted off making his feet fall extra hard onto the floor, the mutants let him pass.

Activating one of the Stealth Boys. He felt as though his whole body had been put into a static field. He thought the room had somehow become brighter also. Looking at his hand, and the shimmer see through, it only looked brighter because the light wasn't being blocked by his body anymore. Holding his breathe, he followed Charon through the entry way to the museum.

"You see ghoul?" One of the mutant said.

"Ghoul no good. Need human." Another said.

"I forgot. Is buckethead human?" The third asked the others.

"Course buckethead human, stupid!"

"If buckethead human. Why so had to capture? Why kill buckethead then catch?"

"Human buckethead. Rip legs of human and buckethead to see. Both human!" The first one insisted.

They're conversation was simple yet fascinating. Ghouls were useless to them, and they're intelligence seemed to be operating on the level of being unable to relate correlation between 'bucketheads' and 'humans'. They stopped their conversations to look at the blur in the room and he quickly moved into the night.

"You see something!?"

"SEE NOTHING! Hungry now. Eat something."

He wasn't bothering with sneaking, running as fast as he could before the Stealth Boy stopped working. When he found himself ankle deep in water, it felt as though someone ran a small electrical current through his entire body as the stealth-boy stopped working. He surprised himself, he'd ran passed the obelisk and into the nearby pool. Getting out of the water, seeing Charon standing across the street waiting for him.

"You've returned. Will you tell this Brotherhood member to back off?" Charon asked sounding bored.

"Who the hell you talking to freak!" The loud voice trembled through the helmet.

"Stand down. He's with me. Three Dog sent me." Pegasus said coming into view, keeping his hands up. explaining to the knight why he was here.

"Alright you can come in, but the zombie stays out!"

Getting the dish, Charon said he'd wait for his return. A brotherhood technician escorted him to the elevator which took them to the top. The ride was lasting a lot longer than expected.

"How long have you guys been stationed here?" Pegasus asked.

"Roughly a month." The knight answered.

"And in all that time, you guys never thought of getting this dish?" Pegasus asked skeptically.

"Give us a break. Would you run through the no man's land?" The technician asked. Realizing that he was talking to the guy who did just that. "Never mind." He grumbled.

The top of the monument had been converted into a radio tower. The technician took the dish and started fumbling with the wired.

"This time. We're keeping the damn thing inside." He mumbled. "Alright all set. Since you're the one who got it. I think you're the one who should throw the switch."

Technically Charon was the one who got it, but the Brotherhood was going to be bigoted. Throwing the switch, he half expected to suddenly hear Three Dogs voice in celebration. Only static and empty airwaves. Looking at the time, it was 2:35 in the morning. Three Dog was probably sleeping.

He had a nice wake up gift. The voice of the wasteland would be heard again. Looking out the wind seeing the entirety of the D.C ruins. it suddenly hit him just how high in the air he really was and fear hit him like a bucket of water.

Clover stifled a yawn. "So we going back to Three Dog now? So how we going to do that Lover?"

"I will be your guide to the GNR building. The task is within parameters of my contract." Charon explained.

They were back at Carols, she poured them each a small glass of water (this one on the house) as they discussed their next moves. Charon claimed to know the metro tunnels better than most. So while it was night they were going to go through with Charon leading them straight to Three Dog.

"Lover how can you trust him so quickly?" Clover asked.

" _I AGREE. THIS COMMUNIST HAS YET TO PROVE HIS WORTH TO ME?"_ RL-3 added.

"He got the radio dish and all I had to do was ask. As far as I'm concerned Charon's our ally." Pegasus answered.

"So you going to drink a bottle of piss?" Clover sarcastically asked.

"My contract states that I am required to taste anything that my employer wishes me to taste in case of poisons or allergies. I will not drink piss just because, Slave." Charon said.

"You're much more talkative now that you blew off your bosses' head!"

"Ahzrukhal required me not to talk to anyone and to tell anyone to talk to him. As per my contract, I obliged."

"Charon, have I done anything to warrant my head getting blown off by you?" Pegasus really wanted to know.

"Not yet. You haven't asked me of anything that goes against my code." Charon answered. "Most of my employers don't bother trying to find out."

"Well I am. So tell me if I doing something that rubs you the wrong way." Pegasus finished.

"Hey, you're showing a lot of tolerance to ghouls their smoothskin." Someone said from a cot.

The curtain flew wide, the ghoul wore a dirty grey suit, his skin looked flaky and peeled away, as though he'd just started becoming a ghoul, his green hair was most likely not caused by radiation, so far he was the only ghoul that he'd see that seemed to care about what remained of their hair.

"Mr. Crowley, you're up earlier than usual." Carol said. "The usual for you then?"

"Not yet, I want to talk to this smoothie." Crowley said. "So tell me…Pegasus is it? What do you think of ghouls?"

"I don't have a problem with you, you're just trying to live out your very long lives." Pegasus answered.

"Exactly!" Crowley jumped out of bed overjoyed. "You have no idea what it's like being a ghoul and dealing with all those closed minded smoothskin assholes. Treating us like we're creatures out of some old zombie movie. Even trying to shoot us in the head! Think that's the only way to kill us! Well we die just like any other human. We hurt, we bleed, we love, and we sure as shit don't like being treated like second class citizens! How would you like to be an instrument of justice against those bigoted assholes?"

Pegasus had already seen such a mindset at Tenpenny Tower. He'd hoped that both the bigot and the vindictive victim had both died that day. Crowley was clearly up to something, but he wasn't sure what. "What do you have in mind?"

"That's the spirit!" Crowley said. "There's these five assholes that are big time bigots! They hate us ghouls with a passion and would kill us all if they could! So I want you to do shoot them in the head for me! I know they each have unique keys on them, so bring me those as proof that you killed them and I'll make it worth you while!"

 _If you were just after some keys, you could've told me._ "Who are the targets?"

Crowley smiled evilly, probably thinking he'd gotten some soft hearted fool to do his dirty work. "They're names are Durkov, Tenpenny, Dave, and Strahl. Kill those bigoted bastards for me! A hundred caps per key you bring."

"I'll consider it." Pegasus coly said.

Don't consider too long. Otherwise someone else might've done the justice for you." Crowley screeched.

"Then it shouldn't be a problem for you then. Justice would be done and some bigots would be dead." Whatever Crowley wanted was those keys, that was clearly all he wanted.

"Excuse me, is Pegasus and company here?" The sultry voice of nurse Graves said from the doorway. "Barrows would like to see you. Our other patient is awake."

That was confusing. He'd never seen the orange-haired woman in his life. Burrows didn't seem the type to just say all smoothskins stick together.

Entering the Chop Shop, Burrows was doing a medical exam on the patient who seemed determined to get out of bed. She looked like a smaller, more malnourished version of Sarah. She had muscles where it counted and if not for the drugs and whatever had set her into that coma, she would've tossed Barrows away from her easily. On the table close to her, was a unique set of dark green combat armor with a white painted four-leaf clover, and a burned out stealth boy.

"You're in no shape to go back out their young lady!" Barrows said firmly shoving her back into the bed. She fought him off and stood up. only to collapse.

"I have to. My men need me." She said loudly trying again to get up.

"This is what I called you for Pegasus. She insists on leaving when she's in no shape to do so." Barrows said. "I told you, I'm a doctor fist."

"I don't doubt that Doctor." Pegasus aid approaching the woman. "Tell me what's wrong?"

"I'm Reilly. I'm leader of the Reilly's rangers. A mercenary squadron that takes what pays." Reilly said shaking her head out of the daze. "We were scouting ruins for a wealthy client, when we found out it was a goddamn super mutant base! I don't know if it was a set up or just a total fuck up, but there was an army of the Frankensteins in Vermon square. We fought our way through the Statesman Hotel. Lost Theo our quartermaster on the stairs. we got trapped on the roof and blew up the stairs and stopped the elevator to give us some time. Finally it was decided I would go and try and hire reinforcements. But my Stealth Boy gave out on the last second and a mutant got a lucky shot off with his rocket launcher! sent me in a concussion coma, been out for the past couple hours and my head still spins. But that's nothing compared to what my men are going through!"

"I understand Reilly." Pegasus said forcing her back down himself. "You need to get your rest. When the doctor says you can leave, you can go check on you men."

"But- "

" _we're_ the reinforcements." Pegasus said loudly ignoring Clovers annoyed groans. "I promise you that if your people are still alive, I'll make sure they stay that way."

"What time is it?" She asked.

" 3:17." Pegasus answered.

Reilly groaned in worry. "They've been stuck up there for over five hours now! If you're going to help, then stop wasting time talking to me and go!"

He didn't need telling twice, though from the glare Clover was giving him he was going to hear and earful of complaints on the way. "Charon, lead the way to the Statesman." 


	26. Chapter 26 Ranger Rescue

They were breathing hard just keeping up with Charon. When he said he knew the metro tunnels, Pegasus didn't think that he meant he knew every turn, passage, and anything that was in the way. Charon leapt over obstacles without breaking stride while they had to use RL-3 in order to see just where to go.

"Boss, you did say that this matters requires haste. Though perhaps you wish for me to slow down?" Charon asked waiting for them to catch up.

Catching his breath. He took a drink of water, Clover caught up a second later grabbing the canteen out of his hands.

"They're probably dead already!" Clover spat. "You heard her, they were up on that hotel hours ago! We should just go back to Three Dog and let the mutants eat their corpses!"

" _COMMANDER! PICKING UP A RADIO SIGNAL."_ RL-3 stated. _"BROADCASTING:_ _Repeating message. This is Butcher of Reilly's Rangers sending out an S.O.S. on all known friendly frequencies. Our supplies are running out and we've already sustained a casualty. We're trapped on the roof level of the Statesman Hotel. Roof access to the Statesman Hotel is only through the adjoining hospital. Please hurry! Butcher out."_

"Fuck you tin can!" Clover gritted.

"They're alive, they need our help. Let's go." Stated Pegasus.

Charon took them topside, the metal sign said 'Vermon square' in faded lettering. They were at the right place. Though the eerie silence made Pegasus think otherwise. Finding the street littered with spent casing, and several bodies of dead mutants cleared away any doubts. A tall building with in dead electric letters 'Our Lady of Hope Hospital'. Between it, stretching across the street many feet above the sidewalk, was a bridge of metal and scrap leading to the Statesman Hotel.

"A move of desperation on the rangers' part." Charon said. "Never move up unless you have an exit plan. Clover is correct; they are trapped up there and are likely to die."

"You want to leave?" Pegasus asked.

"My contract states I am to follow whatever it is that you wish no matter how stupid or insane." Charon said. "Though you did order me to let you know when something rubs me the wrong way. Your taking up of Crowley's offer seems to contradict this selflessly foolish act you are about to do?"

"Was never going to. Just needed to find out what he was after."

"Are you planning on killing him? Or are you going to order me to do it?" Charon asked. It was so stoic that it was impossible to tell if Charon was disgusted by the prospect or not.

"No, but I will warn the people if I meet them."

"Excuse me. But I thought we were being idiots' heroes for these morons? One group of jackasses at a time please?" Clover said. She checked Xuanlong and added. "I only got eight of those explosive rounds left Lover."

"Hopefully we won't need more."

Going through the ruins of the hospital it was clear that the mutants were looking for something. It had to be the mutants because walls ripped out, hospital rooms had their walls torn down as though linking the two would somehow reveal more. Metal had been impaled into the ground and twisted into barricades. It was starting to look far too familiar. Though there was one thing interesting about it all: the super mutants seemed to all operate on the same mindset. Everything they did was uniformed, they acted just like how they looked. The same.

 _If these things were in the Vault, the Overseer would've loved them._ Pegasus thought.

In a ruined closet, there was a deactivated Mr. Handy, all he had to do was flip the switch and it was working. He hooked it up to RL-3 so it wouldn't just wander around.

" _COMMANDER I DON'T LIKE COMMANDING CIVILIANS. THEY AE UNDISCIPLINED AND UNFIT FOR COMBAT! GIVE ME AN AMERICAN WAR MACHINE ANY DAY!"_

" _I AM A JANITOR NOT A SOLDIER!"_ The handy complained. Though it still followed in tow.

There were dead mutants in every hall with spent casings, the trail of brass was leading up to the second level.

"YOU!"

A mutant saw them on the second floor and rushed down only to get blown up by a land mine. The explosion blew off one of its legs and propelled the rest into the wall.

"Nice to know those things work on them." Pegasus mused. "Guess the rangers laid traps for anyone following them."

"That includes _us_ Lover. Can we go now?" Clover said.

"Just be careful."

Clover groaned but continued. Pegasus noted that she was being a lot more vocal of her disapproval than usual.

On the second floor raised voices echoed through the hall. Several voices, all with the same tone. Peeking through a cafeteria, a wave of gaseous fumes hit their nostrils. Two super mutants were standing around a broken pip bellowing gas.

" _COMMANDER BE CAREFUL, THAT ROOM IS FILLED WITH FLAMMABLE GAS!"_ Rl-3 warned.

"We found green goo?!" A mutant addressed another.

"No goo here! Why no goo here? Thing said Goo be here!" The other said.

"Humans here. Humans wear green, but they kill many super mutants like bucketheads! When human become so dangerous?!"

They didn't appear to be armed with anything more than pieces of metal. Either they were smart enough to realize the gas was flammable, or they simply didn't have guns on them. Either case it would be difficult to get passed them without setting off the gas.

That gave him an idea. Taking the Mr. Handy he made it so it would cause a spark. An unfortunate loss, but he needed to get passed these things and test out his theory.

"There's a broken pipe. You need to fix it." Pegasus told it.

" _AT ONCE SIR. THAT IS A JOB I CAN DO."_

The Handy went through the cafeteria doors, and Pegasus braced for their screams. They didn't scream, though it did sound as though they were unsure what to make of the thing. So caught up in trying to listen to them he nearly missed Charon ducking his head and covering his ears, Clover was doing the same and he quickly followed suit.

The following explosion blew the doors off from both sides of the cafeteria and shook the entire hall. The body of a super mutant was blown through the wall into the hall. Even with his ears covered there was a slight ring. The Handy had been destroyed, the windows had all been blown to pieces and the other mutant was hanging from the side.

"That seemed like overkill Lover." Clover stated rubbing her ears.

"Kind of. But I got good use out of it." Pegasus said taking what scrap he could out of the Handy. "RL-3, Charon. You guys take point, they seem to be unsure whether or not to attack robots and ghouls. If the coast looks clear signal us to follow."

A bullet hit Pegasus in the chest before he could even put his plan into motion. Several super mutants came through the kitchen carrying hunting rifles.

"Take you back make more! Need more!" A mutant shouted.

Charon aimed and fired so quickly as though the weapon was an extension of himself. The top of the mutants' head exploded.

It was time to see if Tulip had been lying to him. Firing his rifle, he saw the mutant recoil as the .44 magnum bullet hit it in the chest. Another made it drop its gun, and the final shot took out its lower jaw. Not nearly as damaging as the .308 rounds, but still something that allowed him to finally fight these things on somewhat even ground.

The final mutant came rushing out and everyone fired a round (burst in clovers case) into it, several of RL-3 plasma shots flew wide before landing.

"I thought I fixed that?" Pegasus said.

" _COMMANDER MY DIAGNOSTICS SAYS MY SENSOR MODULE IS FRIED."_ Rl-3 said. " _YOU'LL NEED TO TAKE ME INTO MAINTENANCE TO REPAIR- RADIO TRANSMISSION INCOMING!"_

" _broadcasting on all friendly frequencies. There was just a massive explosion and gunfire inside the Lady of Hope Hospital. Don't know if it was mutants or friendly's. If friendly_ _Keep your eyes open... we've left booby traps and mines to help slow the Mutants down. Oh, shit... here they come again..._ "

Gunfire echoed through the square and through the open windows. He'd heard the whine far too often and realize that someone was using a minigun. If the rangers had that for defense, then they had a chance of surviving.

" _we've driven them back again. God knows for how long this time. Please hurry! Butcher out."_

"Please hurry." Clover mocked. "Some badass mercenary group these people are! Begging for help."

"They've lasted this long against the super mutants. I wouldn't doubt their abilities." Pegasus countered.

"Boss. Even if we get to the Rangers, how are we going to help them? To be redundant: They are trapped on a roof and we will be trapped along with them." Charon asked.

"We conserve our ammo. Meet up with them and fight our way down." Pegasus said. Not much of a plan, but the only one that he had.

"Or you can try and communicate with Butcher and see if he has anything to go by?" Clover smugly suggested.

"And you where complaining about helping out!" That was actually a good idea, it was too bad that Pegasus had taken out the communicator from his pip-boy years ago. He'd never seen a need for anything more than picking up the signal, the communicator he found to be a redundant system when everyone was within walking distance.

"RL-3, can you work as a two-way radio?" Pegasus hoped.

" _NEGATIVE COMMANDER! I CAN ONLY PICK UP RADIO CHATTER AND USE MY SIGNAL TO COMMAND FELLOW ROBOTIC SOLDIERS. I AM A FIELD SERGEANT NOT A COMMUNICATIONS OFFICER!"_ RL-3 said.

They're fucked. We go up there we're fucked. Can we go now?" Clover insisted.

"We are going. Up. To. Them." Pegasus insisted, hopefully the final time.

Clover and Charon both grumbled but still made to follow him out onto the outside door. The metal bridge was right in front of them, the dark sky was turning navy blue showing the ruins in pale light. They were at least sixty feet up from the ground.

"You hesitate? Are you questioning your decision?" Charon asked.

"It not that. It's-I'm really high off the ground." Unlike in the Washington monument, Pegasus could see the ground and had trouble moving across the bridge. Clover started laughing at him.

"Super mutants and a behemoth no problem. But heights? Really Lover?" Clover mocked.

He was not expecting to hear the end of this. Forcing himself to put one foot forward in front of the next, Clover chuckled behind him, Charon and RL-3 followed quietly behind. Halfway there they heard shouting down the streets. Charon used the sniper rifle to scout out the area.

"Boss there are- "

" _A DOZEN OF THOSE FREAKS COMING IN HOT! CARRYING CHINESE ARMAMENTS!"_ Rl-3 shouted. " _I KNEW THOSE DAMN THINGS WERE SOME SORT OF CHINESE WEAPON!"_

"Wouldn't doubt that." Charon said. "China and America were scrambling to find biological weapons that that they could use against the other."

"They're coming for the Rangers. So we need to get to them first." Pegasus said. Need put his fears to rest and he hurried across the bridge. The door on this floor was crumbled, the only way through was to jump down and work their way up. No going back.

Pegasus opened the door into the faded red hall of the Statesman Hotel. It was still far too dark to see normally. Turning on his pip-boy light, walking the halls, hearing his companions jump down and following.

Stepping on a pile of bullet casings, seeing two dead mutants and a centaur. The brass piled on here, and slowly made its way through the ruined hotel rooms and further up. following the trail of spent casings to a stairway. Pegasus checked the floors, remembering Butcher say there were traps.

He was right. A tripwire was in place, disabling it to find the tripwire was connected to a bundle of six grenades. Pegasus handed two each to Charon and Clover. Knowing they were going to need them. On the stairway they found a body missing its head, it looked like someone had twisted it off by the way the wound was. A coded ammo box right next to him.

"This must be Theo." Pegasus said. His hand was also broken, it looked like the mutant that killed him had ripped the gun out of his hand. "Bring the ammo box, the Ranger's might need it."

" _we_ might need it." Clover said.

" _we_ haven't been fighting them for the past five hours." Pegasus snapped. He really wanted to order her to shut up. reminding himself that he promised he would never treat her like that, even if she was getting on his nerves. "Clover think you can carry that thing?"

she grunted but could pick it up. "Bit heavy."

"Charon and I will keep you covered, we need you to have those explosives rounds for later."

At the next level there were even more bodies mutant bodies strung about. None of the mutants seemed to have been trying to retreat, all of them pushed forward to try and get to the Rangers. Counting the bodies here and the ones that they'd seen on the way, there must've been thirteen of them. combined with how many mutants he'd seen the Brotherhood and the Outcasts kill, and the apparent years that they've been fighting, just how many super mutants were there in the Capital Wasteland?

The halls were caved in, finding that the walls in several of the hotels rooms had also collapses by decay or mutant force, Pegasus shined his light onto a white skeleton on the bed. They'd been passing skeletons so often that he hadn't been bothered by them anymore, but this one was different. Its clothes were mostly intact and the bones weren't blackened by atomic fire a time. A black stain spread out underneath the skeleton, in its hand was an old holo-recorder. Curious, he hit play.

 _My dearest Little Moonbeam. I know you've been waiting to hear what happened to me. I'm sorry I left you like I did. An important deal came up... one that might have let us get away from that shack we were living in. I came to the Statesman Hotel to meet the buyer and the deal went bad. We shot each other, and now I think I'm dying. I won't make it out of this place... the ruins are crawling with super mutants. All I can do is record this and then hide up in one of the rooms. You're a strong girl and I know you can use everything I taught you to survive alone. Please forgive me, sweetie. I only wanted to make the best for us. Daddy loves you very much. Goodbye._

His heart ached at the fathers' final message to their daughter. Though highly unlikely that he'd ever meet 'Little Moonbeam', he was keeping this note. Perhaps Gob or some other trader knew someone by that childhood name. a child had the right to know what happened to their parents. He'd better not find a similar note from his dad.

"Boss!"

So caught up in thinking he hadn't notice the danger. A centaur was coming down the hallway, Charon sniped it twice, the gunshots echoing through the hotel. the centaur upper body was torn by the shots but it still managed to spit a blob of black goo. Hitting Pegasus in the chest, his armor started to sizzle and smoke.

"Shit!" the goo was eating through the armor quickly, he tried to get it off of him when a handful of white power hit him in the face. the stuff smelled like Vault cleaner.

Clover had a box of faded powder cleaner in her hand. "Abraxo Cleaner. Great for stopping centaur acid wounds, Lover." Clover said.

His armor looked as though someone had taken a blowtorch to it. Sizzled and bubbled over, he wasn't sure if it would stop another bullet, still the acid had stopped. Not saying a word, he'd kicked the freak centaur as he walked passed. Passed the centaur there was an opened elevator, it was a very old one (he chuckled at that thought) with the power source in sight. The cable didn't look like it would snap anytime soon. Using the Handy's power source, the elevator hummed to life. They packed in shoulder to shoulder, RL-3's saw blade had to rest right next to Pegasus throat. The elevator wouldn't take them to the roof, but to the top floor restaurant.

"How'd you know that trick?" Pegasus asked to get his mind off the nerve racking situation

"Something I've always known." She answered quietly.

"Was it something you learned from Eulogy?" He asked cautiously.

"No I knew that trick from…let's go! Thought we were rescuing those morons!"

Clover dropped the ammo box and pushed pass them and quickly going down the hall.

" _LIEUTENANT CLOVER, THREE CHINESE FREAKS ARE HEADING IN YOUR DIRECTION!"_ RL-3 shouted.

"Good!"

"Back her up!" Pegasus told them stopping to take the power source out and picking up the ammo box. Both of them hurried down. three shots rang out and three screams followed. Pegasus caught up to find Clover standing over three mutants with smoking holes in their chests.

"Sorry if I offended." Pegasus said his arms already getting strained from carrying the ammo box. And she'd said it was a 'little' heavy. "Where did you get the Abraxo Cleaner anyways?"

"Picked it up in the janitorial closet where you got the Handy." Clover replied bouncing Zhu-Rong on her thigh. "We going? Or any more pointless stupid questions?"

"What do you know of gun safety?"

She barred her teeth at him, but stopped playing with her gun. Pegasus sat down the ammo box and she came to take it. Blocking her, he held out his rifle.

"Know how to use a lever action?" He asked.

"No. I'd rather carry anyways." She snapped hefting the ammo box.

She took his asking as orders, and she'd ignored what he'd said. Why was she acting so strangely? A super mutants roar told him to put his questions aside. If she wanted to be he ammo carrier that was fine.

the shining orange-grey light of the sun shone in the hotel's restaurant. It would've been extremely beautiful to eat here in the past. In the present they had to rush to cover as several super mutants unloaded their weapons on them. Rl-3 fired randomly taking out glass, tables and even once a mutants' arms. Clover remained in the hall, the ammo box at her feet taking burst shots from around the corner. Fighting them so often Pegasus learned they never took cover, even when facing something that might kill them. That held true even now a Charon and Pegasus took out the ones distracted by RL-3 and Clover.

The battle lasted only a handful of seconds, they had won at the cost of pain. One of RL-3 eyes had been shattered, Charon had been hit in the arm and Pegasus took another in the chest. This time the round had fractured the armor so it looked like cracked glass.

"I merely need to get to a heavily radiated area. Ghouls regenerate faster the more radiation we're around." Charon explained shrugging off the wound.

"then why live in Underworld?" Pegasus asked finding it painful to breathe. One or two of his ribs had been cracked by the impact. Taking out a stimpak and injecting it into himself, the painful part of him was wishing that he was a ghoul at the moment.

"Because we still need places with convenience. The Glowing ones suffice as medical use." Charon explained seemingly ignoring Pegasus's field triage. "Do you require assistance?"

"I'm fine. You really need to learn how to express yourself more often." Pegasus said the breathing started to become less painful. Charon blinked blankly at him. Emotional expressiveness probably wasn't a clause in his contract.

These mutants must've been the final group that had chased the rangers. An explosion below them must've been set off by the new group coming up. Whatever it was the mutants wanted, they were hell-bent on getting it.

Hurrying through the roof door, the roof was littered with dead mutants and spent casings.

"Hey you!" A man wearing an old combat helmet shouted from above. helmet "I don't know who you are, but get up here now if you value your lives!"

If Pegasus had thought that thirteen mutants were a lot for a non-powered armored group to take out he'd be wrong. There were so many mutant bodies that it was impossible to count with the sheer amount of bodies. Even Clover seemed shocked by all death. At the end of all the carnage were three figures in matching green combat armor with white twin swords over a four-leaf clover symbol on the breast.

"I take it you're the ones who made all that ruckus down there?" The familiar tone of the man on the radio. Butcher's stern face didn't show much, but his eyes shown with desperation and hope.

"That's right. Reilly sent us, asking us to assist you." Pegasus said carefully stepping over all the mutants' bodies. It was hard going not to trip over a limb or slip on casings.

"So how many you kill coming up here? I know we've gotten at least thirty or forty of the bastards!" The woman with a minigun on her back asked. Only her voice let them know they were talking to a woman, her short flat hair and muscular build made Pegasus think he was address a soft spoken bodybuilder. "Eugene and I been holding the line for hours now! probably be holding a few more if Donovan doesn't hurry the fuck up!"

Donovan, the man who told them to get up here, was busy working on the service elevator. "I'm trying Brick! The problem isn't the wiring, it's the power! Without a power source I could mess with this thing until the wasteland turns green and it still won't move!" Donovan saw RL-3 and smiled. "well if we can get the fission battery- "

"No." Pegasus stated simply buy with a finality that made Donovan look as though he was facing a behemoth himself.

"Then we're stuck up here with no ammo." Butcher rebutted.

"We got your ammo box." Pegasus indicated to Clover who set the box down. all the Rangers gathered to it, Butcher immediately started passing out rounds. "And for the elevator, I got a power source as well." Handing Donovan the Handy's power source.

"When Reilly said she was going to get help, I didn't think she'd get a godsend." Donovan cheerfully got the elevator running in under a minute.

"There's a problem; we're pretty sure a dozen super mutants are waiting down in the lobby." Pegasus explained.

"A dozen? I though you said this was a problem!" Brick joked revving up Eugene.

"Also the other problem is that there's seven of us, if you count the robot, and this elevator is pretty small." Donovan explained. "All they need to do is throw one grenade and we're done."

"The super mutants want to take us alive. God knows why, but they won't risk it." Butcher explained.

"Let Charon and Rl-3 be the first ones off. They ignore ghouls and robots." Pegasus said.

They packed in shoulder to shoulder. The elevator miraculously held their combined weight and got to the lobby floor. Charon and Rl-3 stepped out onto the upper level of the lobby, and they heard the voices of curious mutants wondering about the robot and the ghoul.

Brick jumped out firing and laughing. Her joy lasted around five seconds before Eugene ran dry. The others rushed to back her up. her short burst managed to kill two of them and startled the rest, but they recovered quickly.

"Spread out!" Butcher yelled.

They had the high ground but the mutants had the numbers. There weren't a dozen mutants here, there were almost twice that amount all of them armed with assault rifles both Chinese and American. Butcher and Donovan used a 10mm submachine gun and assault rifle respectably, and there rounds seemed to annoy rather then kill. RL-3's random shooting was actually paying off, hitting random mutants and getting their attention away. Pegasus shot whoever he should get a clear shot on, aiming for the head but missing and having to settle for shooting in the chest. Finding late to his horror the problem with a lever-action rifle: he needed to load each round individually in something as hectic as this.

The mutants fired at Charon, the ghoul had become a threat that needed eliminated. He managed to take out several with his rifle, having to throw it down when two rushed up the stairs and he used his shotgun to push them back. using Zhu-Rong, Clover took out five mutants with five shots, throwing her grenades into the mutants. Even taking Pegasus's and throwing those ones two.

"Everybody take cover!" Donovan shouted over the explosions and gunshots to no avail. Nobody could hear his warning.

Another explosion rocked the lobby. the smoke showed it came from the outside, another explosion got a mutant in the chest, killing it and several others. Reilly took cover behind some ruined cars firing a lever-action rifle of her own, a empty rocket launcher next to the ruined cars.

The hotel lobby filled with smoke reeked of sulfur and blood. Looking at the battle, Pegasus found himself thankful that the super mutants seemed incapable of tactical thinking. If they had half the intelligence that they had toughness and strength, the Capital Wasteland would've died long ago.

"Reilly! How the hell did you find us?" Butcher asked hurrying to his leader.

Reilly tried to stand up straight but need to lean on the car for support. "Not that hard, I think half the ruins must've heard Bricks shooting!" She joked. sighing she pulled out a syringe of med-x. "My first dose is winding down fast."

"We keeping that?" Brick asked pointing to the rocket launcher Reilly discarded.

"Yep. Tulip owed me a favor, though it sucks we can't get drinks on the house anymore." Reilly swooned. Slapping herself in the head she looked at the people who had saved her team. "I can't thank you enough for what you've done. You didn't even ask us for a reward?"

"Just helping out." Pegasus said. Clover looked pissed and Charon stoic as ever. RL-3 eye was limping. "If you're feel like you need to repay me, can you fix my robot and spare some ammo?"

"Now you're sounding like a mercenary! All that's back at base, and you're welcomed to join." Reilly smiled.


	27. Chapter 27 Spreading Wings

They had to move slowly for Reilly and Pegasus, when Butcher found he had broken ribs he insisted they didn't strain themselves. Still they made it through several blocks of ruins and into Seward square where they heard the ravings of a madman.

" _Trees! So many trees! To the north! But be careful... the trees... are deadly, and the trees too will be consumed in the belly of the great fat worm!_ "

"Sometimes I think it's his preaching to the worm that give us all our luck." Brick joked. "Glad I got something better to listen to then that assholes preaching out of that Hotel."

"I can't believe you risked your life for those stupid holo-tape and book." Donovan said.

"Hey! This is three hours of Mozart and an actual manuscript of his music! The only thing that rivals his sounds is the revving of Eugene!"

The image of Brick laying waste to super mutants with Mozart playing in the background made Pegasus laugh, and immediately regret it.

The preachers voice faded as they made their way to the compound. Passed several relatively intact buildings, any one of them looked like they could've been a base. the Rangers lead them to one of the more rundown buildings, a security camera and several turrets were posted at the door.

"Brilliant." Charon said. "You keep your base underground hidden in the ruins, and if anyone happens to come across it you've already covered your defenses. I noticed sniper positions along the way and if anyone made it passed those you have auto turret defenses."

For the first time since Pegasus had met him, Charon sounded impressed. Reilly pulled a small keypad from the wall next to the door unlocking it. The Rangers base was a building's basement and maintenance tunnels converted into a military bunker.

"Reilly and yourself need to see Butcher in Medical. Leave your Gutsy with me and I can fix its broken eye." Donovan told him.

"If you have a spare senor module can you put that in as well? His aim is a bit off." Pegasus added.

"Bit? I'm amazed that thing could hit the broadside of a barn!" Brick said gently punching him on the shoulder. "Excuse me I need to refill Eugene, do munitions check, and listen to some kick ass music!"

"Charon go help brick; Rl-3 go with Donovan. Clover what do you want to do?"

"Sticking with you Lover."

"You're name's Clover? Hell our symbol is a clover! You should join up with us and be our lady luck!" Donovan said eagerly. "hell I saw you take out nine mutants on your own in the lobby."

"Donovan." Butcher said pointing at her collar.

Donovan looked confusingly between Pegasus and Clover. "But if you're a slave- "

"Why is she armed and have my back?" Pegasus interrupted. "Because she's not a slave."

"You purchased me." Clover interrupted. "I've become a glorified bodyguard and rent-a-hero."

"If you want, I can take that thing off of you?" Donovan eagerly asked.

"Go fix the robot, and get whatever fantasies you have of me joining your little group out of your head. Along with any thoughts of shit you want to do to me!" Clover snapped.

The exhilaration lessened somewhat as everyone went their ways, broken Mozart started playing over the intercom. In medical Butcher made Reilly and Pegasus stripped down to there under garments and did a physical examine.

"Other than that concussion coma you woke up from, you're in pretty good shape Reilly. Now to have a look at- "Butcher saw all the bruises and wounds on Pegasus's upper body. "Jesus, how the hell are you not screaming?"

"Stimpaks." Pegasus answered honestly. His chest was a prism of colors, red, purple, black, and yellowish from old wounds still trying to heal. His arm was still wrapped in bandages that had become coated with dirt and grime. Taking them off to show the shiny pink burnt skin from the fire ants.

"Well the good news is. It mostly just looks bad." Butcher said gladly. 'The only thing that's been broken are two of your ribs, and those are just minor fractures. Bed rest for a few weeks to let yourself heal up."

"Can't do that doc. I need to get back on the road. Need to see Three Dog." Pegasus said getting dressed he looked at his cracked and acid armor. the mutants had really done a number on it, he ripped off a plating with no effort and it split between his fingers.

"I would like his autograph to. But lady luck already sent you to us and saved all our lives. I'm not about to abuse her generosity."

"Lady luck? You a gambler?" Pegasus groaned. The stimpaks were wearing off.

"You always gamble when you're a mercenary in the Capital Wasteland." Reilly said donning her armor, pointing at the symbol on the chest. "So I took a symbol of luck and made it my own. Luck was the reason I managed to make it to Underworld, luck was the only reason why you where there when I needed you, Lady luck's the reason my team lasted as long as they did, and she's the reason why I happened to get to you guys when I did."

"That's what it always boils down to in the end. No matter how skilled you are, no matter what your gear, if luck isn't on your side then your good as dead." Reilly finished.

"Luck ain't shit." Clover said. "You win or you die. All it takes is a choice. You choose to live and you lived. It's that simple."

"Did you choose your slavery?" Reilly asked.

Clover started pulling at her collar. "It kept me alive." she said solemnly.

"You keep that thing on her to keep her alive?" Reilly asked him.

"I- "Pegasus looked at Clover looking down, her fingers tracing along the edges of her slave collar. "I really don't want to talk about it. The business that happened is between Clover and myself. Sorry Reilly, but I just can't share that with you."

"Is she your slave?"

"In my eyes, no."

"Fair enough." Reilly said getting up. "I still say Lady luck is on our side. We once had seven members. We're just four now, but I think I see some potential with you guys."

"Offering us a job?" Pegasus asked. Was this the fourth or fifth job offer he'd gotten since leaving?

"Membership of the Rangers." Reilly said.

"We can't. Or at least I can't, Clover already told you her mind and Charon I'm not sure of- "

"Guys it's GNR!" Donovan shouted rushing into the room with a portable radio in his hands. Brick and Charon came in as well a fistful of ammo in each hand.

" _People of the Capital Wasteland, you can HEAR MEEEE! Yeeeaa haaaa! You can't stop the signal, baby! That's right, from Megaton to Girdershade, Paradise Falls to the Republic of Dave, we are coming to you loud and proud, in a special live report! I can hear ya askin: But Three Dog! You're in that cool radio studio in D.C. How do YOU know I can hear you, all the way out here in the ass end of nowhere? Because of a steed calling themselves Pegasus, that's how! That bronco actually managed to repair our antenna relay. How's that for ingenuity, folks? From here on in, it's bye-bye stupid static, hello magnificent music. So sit back, relax, and absorb these classic tunes. And Pegasus if you can hear this, get your ass back to GNR we got a lot to talk about!_

"So that's what you here doing in Underworld." Reilly said as GNR played music. "Did you miss the radio that much?"

"I do live in Megaton." He joked.

The song was a short instrumental piece, and Three Dog started talking again. _Now that the celebration is over. Time for some news! Now I know I just told you that Pegasus was the one who got the signal going. But I've here heard tales of that wild horse going all around the Wasteland like he had wings! Haha! One stop of this steed's journey was the Tenpenny Tower, where the hoity toity Alistair Tenpenny refused to let in ghouls, who simply wanted to live like any other resident, even having the caps to do so to boot! Pegasus, our own ambassador of peace, talked to Tenpenny and managed to get the ghouls in and not one shot had to be fired. See kids, not everything is solved with guns. On a sadder note; Roy Philips, whom I'm told was the leader of these ghoulish refugees, perished because of bad construction Now I know you may be thinking; well Tenpenny must've capped him! that's were things get strange, because in the same day not hours later…Tenpenny dies of a heart attack with his favorite whore right on top of him! talk about comings and goings! All jokes aside, Tenpenny tower is under new management; Irving Cheng and the Tenpenny Committee have taken new management of the tower, and get this, Ghouls and humans are on the committee together! Let's hope this unity of ghoul and man can last."_

"You didn't do that did you?" Brick asked.

"Tenpenny tower? I've heard they're the only place in the Wasteland where you can see trees! Is it true?" Donovan asked eagerly.

"They have trees there. I don't know if they're the only ones." Pegasus answered.

"Tell the worm preacher about the trees, maybe he'll go down there and finally shut up." Butcher said.

" _Alright since I've been away for some time. How about y'all show old Three Dog some love and call in? tell me the going downs with ya living in post apocaliptya these days? Well would you look at that, I already have someone on the other line!"_

" _Hello? Is this thing on (Of course it's on!)?"_ The ghoulish voice of Gob and the bubbly tone of Moira came in through the radio.

" _Congratulations caller, you just won the GNR raffle for being the first caller in weeks! Everybody gets to hear what you got to say today!"_

" _Oh. Yeah. Hi. Um. I'm Gob, ghoul from Megaton (I'm Moira Brown! Hi everyone!) long time listener of your show. Glad to hear the Good Fight again._

" _Good to hear from you Gob, and you to Miss Brown. I hear you in the back there! So what you got to tell us about the Good Fight today?"_

" _Well not me, personally (I'm writing a book!). I wish I could but I'm not a fighter (It's called the Wasteland Survival Guide!) all I can do is serve drinks to who I can."_

" _Hey man don't sweat it. Can't drink bullets and a lot of people out here in the Capital Wasteland are a thirsty bunch."_ Three Dog comforted _._

" _Yeah. Yeah you're right!"_ Gob's voice got stronger _. "You just told that story about Pegasus and Tenpenny Tower. Well I know that guy! (SO DO I!) I can tell you Tenpenny Tower is not the only thing he's helped with (He's my co-author!)! He helped me out, hell he's helped out this entire town! (He made it so the bomb won't explode!) I never thought I'd see the day when someone comes waltzing out of a Vault looking for their dad, would stop to help out a pathetic ghoul like me! (He gave me a robot for nothing!)_

It felt as though the Vault door fell in his stomach as Gob continued.

" _I was pretty much a slave to Colin Moriarty, so was these two human girls, Nova and Silver. Treated us like dirt and whored out the girls to whoever paid. Anyways, Silver takes off, and not long after, James comes in wearing a 101 jumpsuit, talks to Colin and leaves. Couple days later, Pegasus comes in wearing the same type of 101 jumpsuit asking where James went. (Hey I gave Pegasus that jumpsuit!) it was a different one Moira!_

Pegasus groaned. Everyone in the Wasteland was hearing this! He didn't feel angry at Gob, or Moira, or even Three Dog. No he was angry at himself. He had waltz into Megaton wearing a 101 jumpsuit just like the one his dad apparently wore. He may as well have shouted to everyone they were connected. If Colin could put two and two together that they were related, so could anyone else. How could he have been so stupid!

 _Anyways. So Colin tries to get him to go kill Silver. he doesn't do that, instead he wipes out an entire raider camp, lead by a bastard called Bogs who was plaguing us! Pretty sure Colin was in cahoots with them. (There's also a giant ant colony there! Those things are yummy.) That reminds me I need to get Bryan on this thing, man does he have a story to tell you! Anyways, Colin thinks Pegasus jipped him and goes after Silver himself. Pegasus chases Moriarty down and gets the bastard trying to kill Silver!"_

" _Wow…that kid from 101 sounds like a real hero!"_ Three Dog's enthusiastic tone dropped slightly. " _You know something Gob, it sounds like you two have quite a bit going on over there so I better let you go."_

" _oh don't think anyone going to miss Moriarty Three Dog, he was a real bastard. Beating and raping us, keeping all the caps we earned for himself (He was a meanie!)._

'Just let them continue Three Dog." Pegasus said shaking his head. There was no stopping this now.

" _And that's the thing Three Dog. We found out that Colin had a safe with all our money in it. Pegasus could've taken it and ran, hell he didn't even need to do everything he'd done so far! He let us keep the money! Now "Moriarty's Saloon' is 'Gobs Tavern' and we serve some of the best damn drinks in the Capital Wasteland! And it's all thanks to Pegasus!"_

" _OWWWWW_ _! Man this Pegasus sounds like a real Urban Defender! Tell you what Gob, if old Three Dog is in the neighborhood, I'll be sure to stop by for a drink._ _Until next time, this is Three Dog, OWWWWWWWWW! And you're listening to Galaxy News Radio! Bringing you the truth, no matter how bad it hurts._ _And now for some music!"_

"What I got out of that: You're Pegasus from Vault 101, your dad's name is James, and he's from vault 101, and he's the same James that Three Dog talked about nearly a month ago." Reilly added it all up.

"Yep." Pegasus sighed.

"I think that the first time he's ever sucked off someone other than the Brotherhood. How'd that feel Pegasus?" Brick joked.

"I'm worried about my dad and my home now!" Pegasus snapped. "You think killing Moriarty was bad? I freed slaves from Eulogy Jones and bought Clover from him just to get her away!"

"you stole slaves from Eulogy Jones!?" Reilly gasped over the shock of the others.

"No wonder Lady luck wasn't with us on that hotel, you where hogging her!" Donovan said.

"I say you going to need her on your side as long as you can Pegasus." Reilly said.

"I can't." Pegasus knew what she was implying. "As much as I loathed the place growing up, being outside made me realize that 101 is my home." His pent up emotions started pouring out of him. "I was forced into exile because of the asshole Overseer, who happens to be my girlfriends' dad, who I planned with to peacefully take over the Vault with, then we were going to open it and see the outside world. As you can tell our plan got kind of derailed."

"You don't need to tell us your story Pegasus. I get it. You have a home your loyal to." Reilly said. She left the room and returned with a suit of armor in her hand. "So consider this place a home away from home. You don't want to be full time ranger, so how about you be an honorary one? Besides, if you want consider this payment for rescuing us. You're definitely going to need some new armor."

Taking it, it was light yet extremely hard, looking at the rangers' own armor and the damage they had sustained, this thing was top notch. Possibly even better than the two century armor he had before.

"That's top of the line post-war material." Donovan said proudly. "That thing will stop a .44 magnum, and the only thing you'd be feeling is a slight bump."

"I saw his chest; he's going to need it." Butcher said.

"You got a spare for the others?" Pegasus asked. "I hope I'm not asking for too much?"

"You're an honorary ranger, that means you're a mercenary. Ask for as much as you can get!" Reilly said. "I only have one more suit, which one of you two wants it?"

"I require no other armor." Charon stated.

"Guess that leaves you lady luck." Reilly joked.

Clover didn't say anything. She stared at Pegasus while fingering her collar. Her face was a flood of emotion, confusion, anger, fear, Pegasus didn't know what she felt towards him.

"We were mapping the ruins for a client when we were attacked. But we have enough to get you a map to GNR." Reilly said.

"Not necessary. Charon can do that." Pegasus said.

"I have detailed knowledge of the entirety of the D.C ruins. Including access tunnels and metro stations." Charon explained.

"Hot damn! If that's true we can get this shit done finally!" Reilly said. "Our Client wants the entirety of the D.C ruins mapped out."

"We can't stay too long. When RL-3 is fixed we're going." Insisted Pegasus. "Three Dog knows where my dad went, and I've been sidetracked enough."

"Well if you're in such a rush, here." Butcher said handing him a few shots of med-x. "Stop using stimpaks on the road, you might fuse your bones wrong. Use med-x till you get to a bed. Then for lucks sake rest!"

The lecturing tone made him think of his dad as the doctor when he did something stupid in the vault. he wondered what kind of fit his dad would throw when he saw the damage his son had done to himself.


	28. Chapter 28 Waking Nightmare

Butcher was right; the med-x was working as a better painkiller then the stimpaks. His breathing had stopped hurting, though he was worried that by ignoring the pain he'd accidently do more damage to himself.

"How's the sight there RL-3?" Pegasus asked again. He'd been asking every few minutes. Not that he didn't trust Donovan to do a good job, just RL-3 seemed to have one problem after the other.

" _DIAGNOSTIC CHECK: MY TARGETING PARAMETERS ARE OPERATING AT 73% COMMANDER! THAT'S A 40% IMPROVEMENT SINCE MY LAST DIAGNOSTIC!"_ RL-3 said.

"If your targeting was so low, why didn't you tell me?" Pegasus asked.

" _COMMANDER, MY DUTY AS A SOLDIER OF THIS US OF A IS TO DRAG MY ROTTING CARCASS THROUGH THE MUD TO DEFEND THIS GREAT NATION! OORAH!"_

Charon had taken them to Georgetown, after that they needed to head to DuPont and they'd be back at the GNR plaza. So far they hadn't run into anything that they couldn't avoid, a few radroaches and a pack of feral ghouls that seemed to ignore them, probably because they were with Charon. Exiting the metro station into Georgetown, the first thing they saw were pieces of metal stuck in the ground, the calling sign of super mutants.

"God dammit! Can't anything be easy!" Pegasus was getting sick of all these damn roadblocks.

"Welcome to the Capital Wasteland, Lover." Clover snapped. Pegasus was taken aback by the distain in her voice and the hatred in her eyes.

"Did I do something wrong Clover?" He asked.

"Can we go yet?" She avoided his question.

"The 'Radiation King' is just up the road here. We can take cover and scout the surrounding there." Charon explained.

Though no super mutants where in sight, the sounds of their laughter and the pleading of people could be heard the further in the block they went. The abandoned grocery looked to be the home of several scavengers by the sights of all the junk and abandoned beds spread-out through the store.

"What are you doing here!? This is my hiding spot, go find you own!" A hushed voice whimpered behind the counter. A man covered in filth and grime shakenly pointed a .32 pistol at them. "Leave before you bring them to me!"

"We mean you no harm sir." Pegasus smoothly stated. "What's going on?"

"Oh come on! It's always open season for the mutants to us humans. They rounded them up and are looking for me! Once they have me there going to eat all of us!"

"I doubt there going to do that." remembering that Three Dog had said the mutants preferred taking their prisoners alive. "Charon you said we can get to the roof right?"

"This way boss." Charon said heading to a stairway.

From the roof they could see the town square. Six super mutants were rounding up a dozen wastelanders. Shoving them into cages made out of shopping carts, stacking there captures uncomfortably onto a dolly. The strange thing was seeing three ghouls standing in the middle of the mutants and captures, they looked too afraid to take a step away from them.

"Charon, you up to sniping these things?" Pegasus asked readying his own rifle. He would need to get a lot closer, it would be nice to have a scope on this thing.

"From here I can take out several." Charon said laying down, using the bipod.

"Hold fire until I get into position."

"What do you want me to do Lover?" Clover said form the doorway.

From the look of distain on her face she didn't approve what he was about to do. "You and RL-3 guard the door and kill any that try to enter."

Without another word he started roof hopping, jumping from one building to the other. The super mutants were so busy with their captures that they weren't bothering looking up. Finally, he could see all six of them, armed with assault rifles wearing car parts for armor. looking over at Charon and figuring his line of sight, Pegasus took aim for one Charon couldn't hit. The .44 magnum tore through the mutants' face killing it instantly.

Another shot rang out shortly after turning another mutants head into mist. The other took up their arms and started looking for whoever was attacking them.

"Where buckethead!?" One shouted.

"No bucketheads here. Only Pegasus!" Pegasus shouted. Though not technically true. He didn't think the mutants would care about technicalities.

"Who Pegasus? You hear Pegasus?" Another asked.

"Dog talk about Pegasus on box? That Pegasus?"

The answer came from another round from Charon, and another dead mutant.

"Where Pegasus! I'll Kill you till you're dead!" The remaining mutants started looking for him.

"There you are!" one shouted about to fire when Charon took its head off.

Charon was one hell of a sniper. The remaining two did something that Pegasus was sure had never been seen in the Capital Wasteland: panicked. Throwing down their weapons, fleeing as far as they could.

"So they can be frightened." Pegasus said aloud. From the murmurs of the wastelanders, they've never seen that before either.

Climbing down the roof, he approached the bewildered wastelanders who looked at him like some creature out of myth.

"You're Pegasus?" one asked. "Are-are you going to free us?"

"Yeah." How bad was it in the ruins when the obvious wasn't?

Opening the cages, the wastelanders poured out. Some young, some old, more women than men, somehow Pegasus was glad that super mutants were the ones who captured the women, he already knew what slavers did.

"You took on those mutants' and came out on top like it was nothing!" An old man said.

"I had help." Pegasus pointed to the Radiation King. "Why didn't you ghouls help out?"

"Give us a break! We're just trying to get to Underworld! All we had on us was a broken bat and a pool que! The Super mutants ignored us but they also wouldn't' let us leave! Like they were afraid we see something we shouldn't."

"Not everyone's a hero like you. We've seen friends and family get taken away by the muties before. We accept it as a fact of life in the ruins." A dirty blonde woman said.

"Well, stop accepting it!" Pegasus shouted picking up one of the mutants discarded rifles. "Here! Use these and defend yourselves, or leave! I can't go around protecting everyone."

"You're just going to let us keep these?" A younger man said taking up one of the rifles. "These things are worth quite a bit on the caravan trail?"

"We can't just leave! Do you know how dangerous the Wasteland is outside of these ruins?!"

He knew that the Wasteland was dangerous, so far though he'd rather take his chances with the raiders then he would with the super mutants. He tried to look at it through the wastelanders way: and finally thought he saw the reason why someone would stay in this hellhole. The mutants weren't picky. Slavers and raiders probably had just as much as chance of getting rounded up as they did.

"if you're going to make a home in the ruins. I suggest you move to Seward square. There's some building that look like they could hold out." Pegasus suggested.

"Or you al could just come with us to Underworld?" one ghoul suggested. "The metro stations make for a pretty decent home, and there plenty of radroaches to eat."

"The bullets stopped firing. So I guess that means you're done playing hero?" Clover said approaching them. RL-3 and Charon were behind her along with the scavenger.

"Boss. We don't have time to chit-chat." Charon said. "Those mutants may come back in force."

"Make base here, go with the ghouls, or head to Seward square. I'll leave that up to you, but you guys need to hurry." Pegasus told them as they left. The wastelanders looked at their passing saviors with a mixture of confusion and awe.

"You could've just kept them in the cages and sold them to Eulogy." Clover said. "They looked pretty healthy, pretty sure you could've gotten 2,000 caps for the lot of them."

"Boss, as kind of it's of you to rescue those wastelanders. We need to conserve our ammo for when we need to fight, and not take on the battles of others." Charon said.

"Do any of you ever do anything nice just because it's the right thing to do?" Pegasus asked.

"My personal consideration is irrelevant to the owner of my contract." Charon answered.

"No." Clover put bluntly.

" _COMMANDER YOU DO SEEM TO ENJOY PLAYING THE HERO! SURE SIGNS OF AN IRRESPONSIBLE OFFICER!"_ Rl-3 said.

All three of them, did the right thing only because he did it and they felt that they were compelled to obey. Something about that mindset just wasn't right.

Entering DuPont station, they could see the Washington Monument on one side, and the GNR building on the other. One more metro station crossing and he'd have the information he needed.

 _COMMANDER DETECTING SERVAL EXPLOSIVE DEVICES AROUND THAT FOUNTAIN!"_ Rl-3 stated. " _DETECTING THIRTEEN HUMANOIDS, CODE YELLOW!"_

They all took cover in one of the nearby ruins. it was a coin toss, friend or foe?

"Hello out there! Can anyone hear me!" Pegasus shouted.

"Been a long time since I've heard that voice, _Chase_!" A familiar, sneering tone. "I can see why you'd told me that name, instead of that faggoty ass name you got Pegasus!"

Grouse came out form the ruins flanked by several raiders and slavers that he didn't recognize. "Gotta say though, you got some balls stealing property form Eulogy! Burning his place down and even making out with one of his favorite bitches to boot! Kudos man!"

"You. Have. Got. To. Be. Fucking kidding me!" Pegasus hissed. Can't anything ever be simple!? Apparently not. He needed to figure out a way out of this quickly. "RL-3, how many mines do you detect?"

" _FOURTEEN AROUND THE FOUNTAIN, ALSO THERE ARE SIX MORE IN THE PLAZA BEHIND THIS BUILDING THAT I AM DETECTING. ALSO SEVERAL INDIVIDUALS ARE MOVING TO A FLANKING POSITION AROUND US."_

"RL-3 go take them out. If you can blow up the mines. Charon, you're a damn good sniper, get to a nest and start shooting. Clover you're with me."

"You really think you're going to fight your way out of this one Lover? When you ever going to realize it's hopeless?" Clover mocked.

"You don't have to die today Pegasus!" Grouse shouted. "Eulogy's willing to let it all be water under the bridge, whatever the fuck that means, if you'll give up Clover, go back to Megaton, and stop trying to play a fucking hero! We won't put a bullet in your face, but if you want to be a martyr that's fine my me!"

Knowing that Grouse was stalling for time, Pegasus could do the same. "Why does he want Clover back? I may have freed the others but I bought her in the manner you fuckers operate!"

"You kidding? You know how much time Eulogy sunk into training her! She's the crown jewel of his collection, he's been kicking himself over letting her go since you left." Grouse mocked. "Besides, I bet he's just missing that tight pussy of hers, you know Asians never get loose! I'm sure you must've gotten a taste by now!?"

A bestial roar escaped from Clover and she started firing wildly towards Grouse. He took cover behind the fountain. Several other raiders started firing at them. The battle had begun.

Waiting for a lull in fire, Pegasus took aim at one of the slavers rushing down to get closer. The sounds of screaming and a ball of fire came running passed them towards Grouse.

" _THAT'S HOW WE DEAL WITH RIOTERS IN THE USA. EXTRA CRISPY!"_ RL-3 shouted.

The slavers weren't letting up now, a wave of bullets constantly whizzed towards where they were hiding until a haze of concrete dust started to cover them.

"Clover put down some covering fire! RL-3 can you shoot their landmines!? Pegasus shouted over the gunfire.

Pegasus didn't hear the reply but RL-3 started shooting and landmines started to go off. If he made it out of this, he needed to repay Donovan. The slavers stopped to assess their situation, hardly believing that four people had lasted this long. Hearing the sniper rifle, two slavers dropped in the distance.

Pegasus rushed forward in the lull, getting behind the same fountain as Grouse. Grouse popped his head up to see the barrel of Pegasus rifle and ducked back down, giving him a clear shot to another slaver. Clover did her trademark style of shooting with the Xuanlong and got several of her own. RL-3 showered the battlefield in green lights of death. The slavers looked worried and confused, contemplating how this was happening. Charon got one of them and Pegasus got the other.

"Retreat!" someone shouted.

"Get back here! We ain't done yet!" Grouse shouted. It sounded like pleading rather than orders.

Several of the remaining slavers started to run at the turn of events. Charon dropped them as they retreated and Clover shot them in the back as well.

The DuPont circle burned with fire and reeked of blood and smoke. Looking at the destruction they had wrought, Pegasus couldn't help but wonder why? Fighting seemed to be the only thing that he'd done since leaving this place. Everywhere he went it seemed he drifted from one battle into the next. All that seemed to change was adding destruction to an already destroyed world.

The sounds of several shotgun blasts came from the topmost building. Grouse popped up from the fountain with his hands up. "Looks like Richter got your little sniper!" He mocked.

Pegasus pointed his 10mm pistol at him and glanced towards the building. Firing a warning shot when Grouse moved. "Look again."

Charon kicked the body of Richter off the top where he'd perched, his shotgun in hand.

"How did you find us?" Pegasus asked his voice surprisingly calm.

"Why the fuck you care? You're just going to kill me!" Grouse shouted.

"Clover, do me a favor and get me the clothing off one of these slavers bodies. Preferably without blood stains." Pegasus said. "And you're wrong, you're going to live."

Clover didn't say a word but did what she was asked. Her eyes burned with fury towards Grouse.

"I'm not going to ask a third time. How did you find us?"

"Oh like some soft hearted pussy ass got the balls to- "

Pegasus shot off three of Grouses' fingers on the right hand.

Grouse fell to his knees screaming in pain, walking up to Grouse Pegasus kicked in in the face hard enough to break his nose, but not hard enough to kill him.

"Amazing what a person can live through huh?" Pegasus said pointing the gun at grouse head, making sure he could see it drift towards his groin.

"Okay!" Grouse squirted blood from his face. All his cockiness drained away at the hell Pegasus eyes promised him. "Prime and Jiggs were at the tech museum. Eulogy wanted the dish to ransom to the Brotherhood! We figured the muties got them when they didn't report in, then Three Dog makes a Wasteland broadcasts and drops the name Pegasus! when Three Dog said to hurry back we knew the place to ambush you!"

"How did you connect 'Chase' with me?" Pegasus asked.

"some fuckers calling themselves the Family been plaguing our patrols for weeks! Saying that they were doing so on a pact between them and a Pegasus! they said he came with a woman in pink, wasn't hard for Eulogy to figure that one out!" Grouse groaned in pain. Pegasus kicked him in the groin to continue. "You lost Eulogy a lot of caps and he wants it back! the Family prevented us from taking those fuckers in Arefu and we can't get to Big Town because of fucking mutants!"

"so Eulogy expected me to hand over Clover, be a good boy and go back home?" Pegasus said his calm voice a contrast to the fury raging in him. "Clover watch him."

Clover came forward and started savagely kicking him. "Clover stop it! I need him alive." Pegasus started taking the clothes apart and making bandages out of them. "You're going to live Grouse, and your going to deliver a message to Eulogy: Tell him that Pegasus is not going home, that Pegasus walks the Wasteland as it's guardian like Mojo did. Tell him that if he values money over life, he's going to keep losing both if he tries to fight me! And you better tell him this!"

Finishing wrapping the stumps. Forced his pistol into Grouses face to make sure he was listening. "You tell him Clover belongs to no one! If he likes living, to give up the slave trade and run to the other side of America and pray that I don't decide to hunt him down anyways! Because if he stays here, sooner or later I will kill him. That's Pegasus's offer, leave or die. Now what are you going to tell Eulogy?"

"You're not going home, You're like Mojo, Clover ain't nobodies, trying to kill you is bad business, you're going to kill him if he stays." Grouse replied.

"And who am I?" Pegasus asked.

"Oh come on- AHH!" Grouse screamed when Pegasus stomped on his wrapped up hand.

"WHO AM I?!"

"PEGASUS!"

"That's right. Not sounding so faggoty now does it? Now get out of my sight."

"You're a strange one boss." Charon said checking over his weapons. "You show compassion that would be considered foolish, yet you've proven to be one of the more ruthless people to ever hold my contract."

They made camp in Lady Frumptons, a boutique that had specialized in lades lingerie given the scantily clad posters and sign: ' _a night your lover won't forget.'_

"I am an enigma I guess." Pegasus said pulling out a bullet form the ranger armor. He hadn't even felt the impact, either the armor was damn good or the med-x was quite powerful. Looking over his own weapons, the 10mm pistol he held with reverence. This thing had been with him since the beginning. Now it was starting to become a hindrance. It wouldn't stop the super mutants, and against raiders he needed something with a faster fire rate. Intellectually, he knew he needed to put the thing away, but this was Amata's, one of the few things that he had that was hers on the outside.

Taking a drink, looking at the 101 canteen, realizing he was wrong on both accounts. The gun wasn't hers. It was her fathers. This was hers, this canteen was what truly kept him alive out in the Wasteland. As Three Dog said, bullets don't quench thirst.

"What did you mean when you told Grouse I don't belong to anyone." Clover suddenly spoke up. She'd quietly checked her weapons and been silent ever since. "You sending me away?"

"I meant just that Clover. You don't belong to anyone. not Grouse, not Eulogy, and definitely not to me." Pegasus said. "I'm not sending you away, you're free to leave anytime."

"Bullshit." Clover spat. "Then why didn't you just unhook me when you bought me!"

Pegasus didn't reply immediately. Had she forgotten that he'd had offered her to take off her collar and she'd told him that she'd be back at Eulogy's? "I offered you when we first met."

She looked shocked as if suddenly remembering what she'd said. "Oh."

He guessed it was finally time, something he was immensely thankful for. "Clover, want me to take your collar off?"

"It'll blow up if you do." Clover said running her finger around the edge.

"No it won't. I have the key remember?

"Tell me why you didn't just take it off back in the beginning huh!?" she demanded.

"I was afraid of what you'd do Clover. You said you'd go back to Eulogy's. would you tell him I freed all the slaves? That some of them were going to Little Lamplight while the others were going with the Regulators to some place called the Union? He's already found out most of that on his own, and thanks to Gob, but that's also my fault. I would've died on the road to Megaton and you'd been right back in his hands. I didn't want that to happen to you."

"What do you want?" Clover snapped her eyes filled with tears. "Nobody does what you do!"

"I want to find my dad and go back to the Vault. I want it opened to be with Amata, and so we can trade with Megaton and the rest of the people inside can see the world. Doesn't mean I'm just going to stomp on or ignore everyone in need that I come across Clover."

"And look at you, you're bruised, battered, and running on drugs."

She'd seen how badly bruised his body was. "I can take a hit Clover. And if it meant people can sleep peacefully at night I'll take a few more."

Clover didn't reply, she kept playing with the collar. "You remind me of Tommy. He was just as stupid and he paid for it."

"How?"

"I don't want to talk about it! He was a hero and he was killed before my eyes so shut up!"

Pegasus put his hands up and kept his voice gentle. "I won't push you Clover."

"You said that already back in the baths!" Clover's hand flew away from her collar. Glaring at Pegasus, her words were icy and controlled. "I do belong to someone, whether you like it or not I belong to you! You bought me and you have to deal with me the way I am! This is the world you won't be able to change it no matter what you do! Every time you look at me, you look at my collar and remember that this is all there is! You keep trying to change it and all that's going to happen is you're going to die, and my collar still going to be around my neck."

"I don't want to change the world Clover. I just want to help out who I can while looking for my dad, that's all."

"You're going to die for it."

"Maybe or maybe not. I must be doing something right though if I got Eulogy running scared."

"He ain't sacred, you pissed him off and you're going to pay for it."

Pegasus laughed. "Are you going to help him with that? You've had plenty of opportunities to shoot me you know?"

"Why the fuck would I do- "She stopped mid-sentence like trying to catch herself from saying something she shouldn't. "No you're my owner, Lover. You bought me from Eulogy, he wants me back he needs to buy me."

"Good thing that's never going to happen. I will die before the day comes I sell you into slavery Clover, that I will promise you now."

She looked shocked by the conviction in his tone. "Don't make promises like that, they'll just get you killed."

"The promise did include my life." Pegasus joked.

Clover gave the faintest hint of a smile.

"I'm confused, are you a slave or not a slave?" Charon asked.

The question remained unanswered.


	29. Chapter 29 Road to Rivet City

"You know I expected you to be gone for at least a week." Three Dog amusingly said. "You managed to get the radio set up and back here in under a day. God damn you're good!"

"Y'all look like shit though. Especially you ugly." Jericho added poking Charon on the chest. He reeked of vodka and one of his eyes was swollen shut. "Don't tell me you actually enjoy a zombies' company Peggy? What Gob not enough for ya? From the radio show, sounds like he'll give it to you for free!"

Charon didn't say anything, but the look he gave Jericho was enough to make him back off. "What you wanna start something freak!"

"Knock it off Jericho. Charon's the reason the radio's working in the first place." Pegasus explained what had happened. Everything form the Museum of Technology to the super mutants' strange behavior, even Grouses ambush.

"Well you're good and well fucked!" Jericho laughed. "You done pissed off one of the most powerful people in the Wasteland."

"So I keep getting told." Pegasus truly was getting tired of hearing about Eulogy's reach. "The thing though about what Grouse said; Eulogy's only angry with me, you're in the clear Jericho."

"Wait what's going on?" Three Dog asked.

"Jericho here took me to Paradise Falls and I worked with a Regulator to free the slaves. That's why Grouse attacked me, Eulogy's pissed at me."

"Hot damn, you freed the slaves! Shit can I talk about that one on the radio?" Three Dog asked, suddenly he looked very sheepish. "Look I know that Gob person pretty much blew the lid on the cover you wanted-"

"Don't worry about it. I was stupid to think I could keep it under wraps for long." Pegasus interrupted. "My name's Pegasus, and I'm from vault 101. you can tell people that at least. Three Dog, can you leave us alone with Jericho for about ten minutes? I have something I want to talk with him about."

Three Dog nodded and left for downstairs.

"Hey I pay for the sex; I don't get paid to lay." Jericho joked finishing the bottle of vodka shattering it on the ground.

"Cute. I need your help Jericho. I need someone on the inside to tell me the going on in the raider and slaver ranks." Pegasus stated it bluntly. Jericho laughed like it was the funniest joke ever.

"Are you fucking serious?! You think just because Grouse didn't say shit about me that Eulogy wouldn't want me dead!? You know how that motherfucker took charge? He's smarter than most others and knows how to keep his temper in check, before fucking with the one who fucked with him. He killed Harmon Jurley and took over by being smarter than that cannibalistic motherfucker! Whose son, by the way, hand you blew off! And Grouse can't even rally the old guard to him. No plot against Eulogy has worked, so what the fuck makes you think that I've somehow slipped under his radar?"

"That's why I need you in the ranks Jericho. You know how they think." Pegasus said. "Besides I'm not asking for a Charity." Pegasus threw down the rest of the caps he'd had, just over seven hundred. "I'm willing to pay you for your help."

Jericho looked at the caps longingly. "Man, even if I wanted to, there's nowhere I can go where Eulogy won't already have spies."

"Evergreen Mills." Clover said.

"What? Why the fuck would I go there?" Jericho asked.

"Evergreen Mills is run by Madame Magdalena, her and Eulogy despise each other." Clover explained. "Eulogy bitched about her all the time. Saying that she was taking away from his profit margins. She runs a brothel and specializes in selling Chems."

"What about slavery?" Pegasus asked remembering Tenpenny saying he was getting a new slave from Evergreen Mills.

"I don't know, probably. From what I heard the Pitt always has been buying slaves like crazy, and no businessman like Eulogy or Magdalena would ever let the chance of profit escape."

"If the Pitt is so rich, why does it need so many slaves?" Pegasus asked

"Probably to keep their riches going." Jericho said sarcastically. "You really don't know how slavery works do you?"

"The Pitt crews always paid in bullets or useful services." Clover added. "They fixed the Montgomery Country Reservoir as payment for a dozen slaves once, giving Paradise Falls nearly endless water."

"I know they ain't picky where they get them. As long as the slaves can work they'll take them from anyone. Magdalena from what I've heard operates the same way. Damn near anyone can come into Evergreen Mills as long as you got the caps and behave yourself, she really doesn't care what you do."

"Yeah, but won't I just be sold out the first chance they get?" Jericho said.

"Probably not as long as you don't cause shit. From what I understand as long as the caps keep flowing she don't care what you did or do."

Jericho looked to be mulling it over, sometimes breaking out into a sarcastic smile as though amused by his thoughts. "You know something, if it was anyone else I'd probably tell you to fuck off. But the strange thing is Pegasus, I'm starting to like you. Mostly cause you scare the shit out of me, and you just may have scared Eulogy too." Jericho laughed. "Well it ain't no New Reno, but if booze and whores are at Evergreen, if they take me in then you got yourself a deal. I'll be a good little spy for you and try and see what's up."

Breathing a sigh of relief. "You don't know how much this means to me Jericho, thank you."

"Don't go sucking my dick. It's repulsive for a bad motherfucker like you to be all sentimental." Jericho said taking up the caps. "See if you can't get the brotherhood to get me some ore ammo and some guns. Need to be able to actually get there through the radscopions."

Jericho stumbled his way downstairs. Pegasus thought that it went over better than expected. "What's a radscorpion?"

"An emperor scorpion between three to twelve feet in length with potent poison. I've seen it melt the flesh of its victims." Charon explained.

"Great. So those exist.' Pegasus said solemnly.

"You done with Jericho? Please tell me he's leaving!" Three Dog said coming back in. "He's already drank us dry, and he actually grabbed Sarah's ass when she tried to leave."

"He's leaving. So that's where the shiner came from." Pegasus smiled. "now Three Dog, we had a deal."

"And I'm keeping my end." Three Dog matched Pegasus smile. "When James came through here, we didn't just talk about the who's who. He also talked to me about something called 'Project Purity.' It was a bunch of science mumbo-jumbo that I couldn't understand, but he did mention looking for someone I know: Dr. Madison Li."

Three Dog stopped as though waiting to see if Pegasus said anything. "You don't know her I take it?"

"My dad never mentioned anything to me about outside the Vault. He always acted as though he'd grown up inside as well." Acted being the keyword.

"Dr. Li is the main reason anyone in the Capital Wasteland has the ability to grow food. Her work on hydroponics was revolutionary, thanks to her most of us with the water can grow actual crops and not just the poisoned stuff that glowed green in the soil."

"She lives in Rivet City, she's head scientist there and also a member of the city council. So if your dad went anywhere it's there."

"Rivet City." Pegasus knew that location on Mojo's old maps. There was a path that he could follow from Megaton straight to there. "Thanks Three Dog, it really means a lot me." Something occurred to him. Gob had already spilled the beans on pretty much everything. "Can you do me a favor Three Dog?"

" _Hoooooo, BOY! Children, you are going to LOVE this! Okay, so I told you about James, the guy from the Vault. and then y'all hear about that Steed Pegasus who came out of the Vault, and made it so you can be astounded, bedazzled, and otherwise stupefied by your master of ceremonies! Now, you want to know if it gets better, don't you? Well Hell YES it gets better! Turns out Pegasus is none other than James' kid! I know, I know! I couldn't make this shit up! Okay, but, now it gets kind of sad. You see, he's looking for his dad, looking for James. See, James left Vault 101 without telling Pegasus why. Now, I've since learned that James is a scientist and is working on something big. Is that why he left the Vault? Looks that way. So who knows, maybe James is going to save the world. Can't think of a better cause than that. But James, if you're listening... Your kid's out, man, and he misses you. So you might want to find him before he gets swallowed up and spit out. And for all you other cats out there listening, if you see Pegasus from Vault 101 out there, give him a pat on the back, and wish him luck._ "

Back in his house listening to the radio jukebox. The message was a lot more emotional then Pegasus thought needed, but the message was out there now. He just had to hope his dad heard it. Finishing the meal Silver had made for him, ant meat with mashed potatoes. The meat was overcooked and the potatoes undercooked with large chunks of raw bits and skin in them, he choked it down anyways.

Tossing Dogmeat one of the more burnt parts of the ant, he checked over his supplies. He had put the 10mm pistol away close to his bed while Wanda, still broken, hung from the wall like a ceremonial piece. Checking the 10mm submachine gun that he would be keeping with him now. he'd used one of these in the Anchorage Simulation, he wondered what the kick of this thing would be in the real world?

"So we leaving soon Lover?" Clover asked from the downstairs. "Or we going to go on some more stupid side missions again, as the zombie called it?"

"It was highly dangerous to do what you did boss. It looked like a warzone where you took us." Charon added.

"I know. Ask Clover and RL-3, they were there also." Pegasus called back down. he had backtracked through the Falls Church to pick up flowers. Reaching out to stroke the pedals on one, he still couldn't believe that these were real.

" _THAT IS A_ _ROSA RUBIGINOSA SIR. A SPECIES OF ROSE."_ Wadsworth had explained. _"I MUST SAY, IT'S BEEN AWHILE SINCE MY AGRICULTURE SUBROUTINES HAVE BEEN PUT IN USE SIR. I WILL ATTEND TO YOUR GARDEN WHILE YOU ARE AWAY."_

"Thanks Wadsworth, it really means a lot." Pegasus said finishing his meal. "I'll be leaving as soon as I give this plate back to Silver."

" _OF COURSE SIR. THOUGH MAY I INQUIRE WHY YOU DIDN'T WANT ME TO TAKE CARE OF YOUR MONGREL MUTT WHILE YOUR WHERE AWAY?"_

Laughing at the question. "Sounds like you wouldn't have enjoyed taking care of her."

" _OH I DON'T MIND WALKING THE DOG SO TO SAY SIR. IT'S JUST THAT I OVERHEARD SOME OF THE PEOPLE TALKING ABOUT HOW DELICIOUS YOUR DOG LOOKED. AND I THOUGHT IT ODD THAT YOU WOULD PUT HER IN THEIR HANDS."_

Dogmeat whimpered and rested her head in his lap. Looks like she wouldn't be leaving his sight for a while.

"My aunt lives in Rivet City. Her name's Vera, that's all I can remember of her. I haven't seen her since I was six." Bryan had told him while cleaning. the kid was a hard worker, burying himself in the work that Gob or Nova gave him. Bryan didn't seem to mind working for them, but he nearly begged Pegasus to take him with them to Rivet City. Pegasus wanted to make sure the road to Rivet City was safe first. Besides, what if his aunt Vera didn't want him or turned out to be wicked? Better to leave him in the hands of people that would care for him.

They followed the path on Mojo's old map, down one of the streets away from the river edge path, loud drumming music echoed down towards them.

"We going to take a look?" Clover asked though she was already heading towards the noise.

"I was going to say no, but if you insist." Pegasus teased, smiling at her scoffs.

The music was coming from a larger building with wooden signs warning: _Keep your weapons holstered or you will be shot! Welcome to Dukov's place!_

"Dukov?" Pegasus said aloud.

"Someone on Mr. Crowley's hit list." Charon said. "Are we taking him out or warning him?"

"Warning him." Pegasus smiled a Clover. "Thanks for taking us here."

He didn't see her give him the finger as he walked in. Their guns holstered as asked. Stepping over a beer bottle he still early tripped over another and another. The entire floor was littered with discarded bottles of booze all lit up by the dim lights of shrouded lamps. In the middle a large heart shaped bed with stained sheets, laid a pale redhead woman in scantily clothing.

"Dukey. You have guest!" She called out spreading out in such a way that Pegasus diverted his eyes.

"Hey! Who the fuck are you?" A loud Russian voice called down from the top level. A bald, middle-aged man wearing torn red pajamas pointed a large revolver at them. His aim never wavered as he came down the stairs followed by a black girl wearing the same kind of outfit as the redhead.

"Hey nice bitch you got there!" Dukov said putting his gun away, reaching out to pet Dogmeat. She allowed it but growled lightly at him. "Feisty bitch, I like that! So who're you again?"

"Pega- "Pegasus began.

"Never mind you need a drink! Cherry! I'm thirsty here!" Dukov interrupted and snapped his fingers.

The redhead got a bottle of whiskey and four glasses. Dukov shoved on in each of their hands and poured them a generous amount. downing the rest that was in the bottle for himself.

"That's better!" He shouted throwing the bottle to the ground. "Eating, farting, and screwing! What more can someone ask for life?" He asked aloud before letting himself rip.

"Dukov, you know anyone by the name of Crowley?" Pegasus asked rubbing his nose. Dukov let out a really bad fart, Underworld smelled better.

"Crowley? He's fucking dead. Ripped to pieces by feral ghouls in Fort Constantine." Dukov slapped both the girls' asses and they giggled, Cherry's sounded forced. "Why you ask about that? Clown shoes."

Dukov pointed at the red Vault maintenance shoes he was wearing. The old combat boots had been torn with all the walking through the Wasteland and D.C ruins. "He's still alive. he's after some sort of key you have. Claiming you hate ghouls to get someone to try and kill you for it."

"What! I don't hate ghouls. even had a ghoul party girl once like my Cherry and Fantasia here!" Dukov pulled them close. "Can't believe that the ugly bastard's still alive, must be trying to get to the treasure of the Fort. He can have it for two-hundred caps!"

"I don't have enough for that." Pegasus had given all his money to buy Jericho's loyalty.

"You just come wandering by to warn me about some price on my head?" Dukov stupidly looked at him. "You alright in my book Clown Shoes! You stay as long as you want, help yourself to my drinks, get yourself high, you can even use my bed and if the girls let you, you can use them to!" Dukov laughed. Slapping fantasia on the ass and heading back upstairs.

"Dukov. You should just- "

"I'm done flubbing my gums to you Clown Shoes. Rather flap my balls against Fantasia's ass instead!"

"Well that went well. You managed to warn someone that they have a price on their head. Can we go now?" Clover asked.

"Leaving so soon? Thought you'd enjoy the company." Cherry asked sipping at her whiskey. "Where you all heading?"

"Rivet City." Answered Pegasus.

She nearly choked on her drink at that. "Tell you what; I'll get that key from Dukov, and you take me to Rivet City, deal?"

"Deal?" Pegasus answered unsure of what was going on. Cherry hurried up to the second floor, Dukov was grunting loudly and Fantasia moaning loud enough drown out the music. After a few minutes she came back down wearing raggedy clothing, the key in her hand.

"I have my hands in his pants all the time. He won't notice it's gone." She said putting it between her cleavage. "Can we get out of here now please!"

"So why were you with Dukov if you wanted to leave?" Pegasus asked Cherry to pass the time. Clover and Charon were not one for small talk, and RL-3 merely hummed patriotic tunes and Dogmeat only barked and chased her tail in amusement.

"Baby, do you know how dangerous the Wasteland is?!" She said. "I didn't love that perverted old bastard but he kept me safe."

"So you weren't his slave?"

"No. I was his whore." She stated boldly. "I got no problems admitting to that, but I don't want to live the rest of my life like that. Fantasia may settle for that kind of life, but I want something a little more out of it."

"Good luck with that girl. Seems like the only thing you're going to do is get expand your clientele." Clover smirked.

"I'm more than just a piece of ass." Cherry said. "Sorry that not all girls can be badass gunslingers like you."

Clover bit her lip at the remark and stated to play with her collar again. "You see this right?"

"yeah, and I know it's bullshit. Nobody keeps a slave around armored and armed like you. Bet you just wear that to taunt the slavers." Cherry said.

Clover didn't say anything after that. She looked so shocked by Cherry words, that she just kept playing with her collar.

When Pegasus had asked about Rivet City, Moira had told him that it was a beached aircraft carrier that had turned into the most successful community in the Wasteland. Pegasus didn't think that a boat would be much of a settlement, until he saw it from the distance. The aircraft carrier was huge, even from the distance he could see that its bow had been spilt off, and even that could have probably fit half the Vault.

Dogmeat started to growl. _"COMMANDER! DETECTING SEVERAL HOSTILES CHINESE BIOWEAPONS AHEAD, ALONG WITH SEVERAL HUMANS."_ RL-3 said.

"Crap. I hope this wasn't a mistake!" Cherry mumbled.

"Thank you oh-yee of little faith." Pegasus said taking out his rifle. "This isn't the first group of super mutants, or raiders, or slavers we've taken on and I doubt it'll be the last."

Dogmeat started barking and ran into the ruins. He hoped it wasn't a mistake bringing Dogmeat with them. finding Dogmeat standing close to four people in black combat armor that made Pegasus think of Talon Company.

"Take it that's your mutt wastelander?" The man with short chestnut hair and clean shaven face said with the crisp tone of authority. He looked well-nourished and paler than most. Pegasus had only seen someone looking this healthy back at Tenpenny tower. There armor didn't have the white talons of the company, there armor was much bulkier and looked cheaper. "Keep it quiet or I'll put it down!"

"Sorry about that. Who are you and what's going on?" Pegasus asked.

"What's going on is that several civilians of Rivet City were captured by super mutants, and we're going to get them back!" He said readying his assault rifle. "I suggest you stay out of the way wastelanders."

"If you're on a rescue mission, we'll help." Pegasus said. "Right guys?"

Clover smiled mockingly at him. Charon took out his gun his stoic face never changed. Cherry was hiding behind some rubble.

" _LET'S GO KICK THESE PANSY-ASS PINKOS ALL THE WAY BACK TO BEIJING!"_ RL-3 said cheerfully.

"You got at least two of us." Pegasus said.

"Harkness, just let them help." One of the others said. They had a 10mm submachine gun. "There's only three mutants but we don't need to lose anyone else."

Fine. just don't shoot any humans." Harkness relented.

The super mutants had turned a junk hill into their camp. Twisted metal and bags of rotting meat with shells of giant creatures Pegasus could've only guessed decorated the hill. Several humans were at the top guarded by a mutant with its own minigun. Pegasus wondered where the hell they kept getting such firepower?

Charon fired a round through the top mutants' head. A mutant threw several grenades while the third shot it's hunting rifle at them. it wasn't really a fight, with sheer numbers and Charon's, RL-3, and even Pegasus weapons the mutants where killed and the captives freed.

"Hell yeah! That wasn't even hard!" One of the younger officers shouted. "I thought super mutants were supposed to be tough?!"

"They are Jackie. "Harkness said untying the captives. "If you were paying attention you didn't even hurt them. the wastelanders did."

"Knew you'd be the ones to get us out if this mess Aderes." An older man with a goatee said smiling.

Harkness cleared his throat and glared at the older man.

"Sorry officer Harkness. Thanks for coming to our rescue."

"You know you have a heart condition Garza. Don't wander too far from the city again." Harkness lectured.

"Hey man don't sweat it. you got here in time so it's all good." A young man with glazed over eyes and mopped over dark hair said. "Besides the old man had me. We could've gotten out whenever."

"Then why didn't you Tim?" Harkness sighed, looking at the younger man with distain.

"I was getting ready too! Just needed to wait for the mutants to get distracted." Tim said stumbling as he got up.

"Tim, it's because of people like you I sometimes wonder why I do this job." Harkness said.

"Hey man you got a dog! Haven't see one of those since I came to Rivet City!" Tim shouted ignoring Harkness. Scratching Dogmeat under the chin, she panted in enjoyment.

"Yes, we all love animals." Harkness smiled going to pet Dogmeat on her ears. She whimpered and backed away behind Pegasus.

Harkness looked confused, but shrugged it off. "I take it you travelers are visiting Rivet City?"

"Yes. We're looking for a man named James." Pegasus explained.

"The only James I know is that little troublemaker." Harkness said.

"James is from a Vault. He knows Dr. Madison Li, so unless you know him I need to talk to her."

Harkness scoffed at that. "Yeah and I'm a fairy Princess. Sorry kid, but Dr. Li doesn't have the time to be wasting it with your silly questions."

"Hey if it's James you're looking for, he stopped by over a month ago." Garza said. "They had a big argument and James left. probably trying to start their pipe-dream again."

"you saw him!?" Pegasus heart leapt.

"Hey kid calm down. Yeah I saw him. Not much else though. If you want to hear the whole story you're going to have to talk to Madison."

"Dr. Li! Garza." Harkness was a stickler for formality. "Alright, I'll see if I can't arrange a meeting for you two. I know you just helped out with the mutants, but if any of you cause any problems, I'll throw you off the boat myself. Is that clear?"

"Gee, that's quite the thanks!" Clover snapped.

"We won't cause any problems." Pegasus interrupted before things got out of hand.

They didn't run into any problems on the way to Rivet City. The closer they got, the more Pegasus realized that this place could've fit the entire Vault comfortably in its hull.

"How many people do you have living in there?" Pegasus wondered. The vault had the potential to hold a thousand people via hot bunking, with each of the rooms holding six people. Yet the population had declined so much that almost every family could have a room to themselves.

"Six hundred seventy-three. Last population census." Harkness said. "According to the records, this ship could be crewed by over five-thousand. Guess you can say we run on a skeleton crew."

Five-thousand? This place could hold every person he'd ever met in the Wasteland and the vault comfortably and still have room to grow. Getting closer however, he also saw that the outside was decaying badly. The bow where it was split looked to have been completely abandoned and left to rot. he guessed that with how dangerous the Wasteland was with the raiders and the mutants, it was hard to get the parts to keep the ship running at maximum capacity. they were probably letting the parts rust away that they could afford.

Coming across a make shift tower with a metal extending bridge, a familiar face was at the base of the tower. adjusting his baseball cap and checking the wares on his brahmin.

"Ah chief Harkness. I take it the mission was a success? Is it alright if we can go in now?" Crow asked. Looking passed Harkness at Pegasus he smiled "My word is that truly you? According to the radio, you're co-authoring that foolish woman's book. I take it you've found your path in this life?"

"Not quite Crow, but on the right track." Pegasus smiled.

Harkness took them to the top and used the intercom to extend the bridge. Slightly unnerved being a hundred feet up hanging over shallow water, Pegasus tried to keep a straight face as Harkness guided them into the city.


	30. Chapter 30 Project Purity

What had once been the ships hanger deck had been converted into a small town. Tents and shops had been set up every few feet, the air was filled with the smells of cooking and chemicals, all with the undertone of salt. Sounds of laughter, barter, idol chitchat and even the mooing of Brahmin echoed throughout the deck.

"Welcome to the marketplace." Harkness said. "Keep your weapons holstered along with your manners, and you'll be welcome here. I'm going to find Doctor Li and see if she can make the time to meet you. Until then, enjoy what Rivet City Markets have to offer you."

Harkness disappeared in the crowds along with his security team.

"Hey you're my heroes and all, but I need to see if I can't find myself some work around here." Cherry said. "But seriously, thanks for getting me away from Dukov."

Pegasus didn't even get the chance to respond before she disappeared into the crowds. Even with her uniquely red hair, it was impossible to make her out in the crowds.

"I'm setting up shop and talking to Potomac attire." Crow said guiding his pack Brahmin through the market. "If you wish you can talk to Bannon. He sits on the council along with Li and Harkness."

"Sure that would be great." Pegasus said following Crow. Looking around, it looked like nearly everyone was just as healthy as Harkness was. Sitting on an endless supply of water and having hydroponics must do wonders for the health of the average Rivet citizen. Noticing that they were getting a lot of stares and points from people. Seeing them all pointing at Charon and Rl-3, noticing that all the points were human, not a single ghoul was in this crowded market.

"Guess even Rivet City suffers from some prejudice." Pegasus said gloomily.

"Snowflake originally came from Rivet City but was kicked out because of his ghouldom." Charon stated.

"Who's Snowflake?"

"Underworlds 'stylist'. According to him, because of his condition nobody in Rivet City would let him touch them and he went out of business. Knowing how ghouls never bother with maintaining their hair, he's taken up jet to pass the time."

"How do know that?" Pegasus said but already guess the answer.

"Ahzrukhal always kept tabs on anyone he could make a cap on." Charon answered his suspicions.

Seeing one shop with an array of weapons laying on the counter. The shop was called Flak 'n Shrapnel's, a large burly man with a thick mustache and buzzed head was checking over the weapons and putting out more ammo.

"Welcome to Flak 'n Shrapnel's. I'm Flak." He said in a gruff voice. "You need something better than those peashooters you're using you've come to the right place."

"Actually I'm looking to sell." Pegasus said handing over the super mutants' weapons. Knowing how well thy took care of their guns, he wasn't expecting much more then something to buy maybe a small glass of water.

"Give ya 34 for the lot." Flak said. "The bullets are worth more than this hunk of shit I'm taking off you."

"I don't doubt that.' Pegasus said finishing the transaction.

"Who the fuck's this?" Someone said pushing passed him. the man had messy brown hair and a shadow of a beard. "Don't tell me you took another crap weapon that we can't resell Flak?"

"Course we can Shrapnel. Just going to take some work cleaning it. then we can sell it to Harith when he stops by."

Shrapnel shook his head. "You're lucky I love you." He said kissing Flak on the lips.

Pegasus looked shocked at them. "What never seen queers before?" Shrapnel said defensively.

"No I haven't." Pegasus said honestly. Homosexuality wasn't something talked about in the Vault. It was never condemned, but never approved of either. If anyone was practicing it, they had to be doing it very secretly like the meetings between Amata and him.

"Oh. Well. It's rude to stare like that just so you know." Shrapnel said, surprised that someone had never seen queers before. "So you done here or you just going to gawk?"

"No-I'm leaving now." Pegasus said quickly.

" _HOMOSEXUALITY IS AN ABOMINATION AGAINST GOD AND COUNTRY!"_ Rl-3 shouted _. "COMMANDER THESE TWO MUST BE REPORTED IMMEDIATELY FOR REEDUCATION!"_

Everyone stopped to stare at the robot and his companions. Pegasus didn't like all the unwarranted attention. "RL-3…We're on a diplomatic embassy of a foreign ally." It was the best he could think of.

" _I HAD NO IDEA THAT THE POTOMAC RIVER HAD BECOME INTERNATIONAL WATERS, HAVE WE LOST TERRITORY?!"_ RL-3 sounded panicked.

"No this vessel has been turned into an embassy. Until a permanent one can be built."

" _OH I SEE. SO WE USING THESE DEGENERATES AS A BULWARK TO THOSE CHINESE ABOMINATIONS. AN EXCELLENT PLAN TO KEEP THE U S OF A STRONG! OORAH!"_

"Go back to what you're doing people. He's just… out of touch with the times." Pegasus said loudly for everyone to hear him.

"Keep your robot in check or we'll toss him in the scrap pile." A security guard warned.

"RL-3 don't say anything while we're here ever again." Pegasus warned. Seeing Crow talking to a man wearing snappy looking clothing and a haughty look with an array of clothing behind him. It was tempting to go talk to Bannon and Crow, but the sizzling of the open bar and grill and his stomach rumbling sounded even better.

"Welcome to Gary's galley! I'm Angela Staley and we like it when you're hungry!" A bubbly blonde girl said smiling as they all sat down.

"You come up with that all on your own? You must think yourself so clever." Clover mumbled.

Angela either didn't hear or didn't care. "What would you like? We have mirelurk cakes, mirelurk steaks, mirelurk soup. All with a side of Rivet City's famous hydro fruits and veggies!"

"Something under thirty caps for the three of us." Pegasus said. "Make that four." He added when Dogmeat whimpered.

"Oh so cute! Do ghouls even eat normal food?" Angela asked.

"Our bodies are capable of processing rougher foods, But the soft stuff is nice every once in a while." Charon answered.

"Alright; three orders of soup and a small steak for the dog coming right up!" She went over to the cook and quickly came back with three cups and a pitcher, pouring them all a tall glass of water.

"I can't pay for this." Pegasus mumbled remembering how expensive it was back in Megaton and Underworld.

"Water doesn't cost a thing here drifter." Angela said smiling leaving the pitcher in the center. "But if you want to leave a generous tip that would be nice."

The water was warm, but radiation free. Drinking it all, he filled up his glass again and drank that too. the Galley started filling up with customers and Angela went around taking their orders. Pegasus followed her, expecting her to accidently talk to his dad, he hoped that this was the last place he'd have to stop, and if he saw him, smack him over the head and have a drink with his father.

"Hey girl you know anyone named Vera Wilks?" Clover called over to Angela with her mouth full.

"Wilks?" a short haired blonde woman said from the counter. "that's my old surname, why you asking?"

"Your brother's dead and your nephew needs a place to stay." Clover stated simply, drinking the broth from the bowl.

"How tactful of you." Pegasus gritted as Vera rushed over to them

"What! the hell happened!?" She pleaded.

"You're going to have trouble believing me." Pegasus said explaining everything that happened in Greyditch, not even bothering to lie about the fire breathing ants that killed her brother, telling her that Bryan was safe in Megaton.

"Dammit. If my stupid brother wasn't so stubborn about making it on his own, he could've come and lived with me." She said through teary eyes. "Let my nephew know that I'll gladly take him in. I hope he still sees me as family. Thank you for looking out for him. I'll make sure he's safe and healthy from now on."

"Bryan said you haven't seen him in years, will you even recognize him?" Pegasus asked.

"He's family of course I will!" Vera snapped

"got any paper? Colored preferably?"

She looked confused at the sudden change of subject but disappeared into the crowded market only to return later with a handful of papers of different colors. Taking a yellow piece of paper, he quickly made a flower out of it. It wasn't one of his best works, but from the looks on Vera and Angela's faces, and the passing stares of the other patrons it may have been one of the better pieces of art in Rivet City.

"Here. I'll make one for Bryan that'll be a match so you'll know it's him." Pegasus said handing her the yellow flower, he tried to make it look like a replica of the ones in the cemetery.

"Can you make me one! In red please?!" Angela begged.

Pegasus smiled and made a red rose for her, which she immediately put in her hair and danced around the Market.

"I'll pay you twenty caps for a banquet of these to put in the Weatherly Hotel. The place could use some decoration." Vera said.

"All slavers and mutants shall tremble before the mighty paper florists Pegasus." Charon mumbled from his drink.

Pegasus nearly messed up on of the flowers laughing at that one. It was the most flowers he'd made since leaving the Vault, and with actual paper instead of the stiff paper the Gob used for napkins, these things were turning out as beautiful as the ones he used to make for Amata.

"Beautiful artwork their kid." Harkness said behind him resting his hand on his shoulder. "Dr. Li will see you now. Just you though your friends gotta stay."

"Please behave yourselves." Pegasus nearly pleaded. Charon he didn't doubt anymore, but Clover and RL-3 could cause a scene without him there to rein them in. The last thing he needed was a permanent ban from this city.

The rest of the ship looked weathered and worn, they walked passed freshly scrubbed walls only to pass other walls covered in rust. in some of the halls the lights flicked as though not getting enough power, some didn't have lights at all. Even with all these flaws, it was still by far the most advance civilization he'd been in since leaving the 101, and even that was only being beat by its technical superiority. Socially, Rivet City seemed even better.

"James"! Harkness shouted around the corner.

Pegasus heart leapt and he glanced expecting to see his dad, but only seeing a child sticking his tongue out at Harkness. A small girl was with him and both were writing rude words in red on the walls. They bolted away down another corridor making a ruckus.

"Damn kids always getting in trouble. Wish his mother would stop getting drunk and actually raise the kid right." Harkness mumbled.

Pegasus had seen that one before with Butch. He considered warning Harkness about the local delinquent he grew up with when he took him to a door labeled 'Science labs'. Harkness escorted him close to an old man with a stern looking bodyguard arguing with a woman in a lab coat before going passed them.

"I'm sure Dr. Li work on water purification is fascinating." The old man condescendingly wheezed. "But the technology in that android…you don't know what's at stake!"

"You won't tell me what's at stake Zimmer!" The scientist countered. "Vagueness and secrecies. A robot's a robot, no matter how shiny the paint job. Now if you'll excuse us, we have real work to do."

"How dare you speak to me like that! Well I'm not leaving until I've spoken with Dr. LI. I'll be right here when she's ready to abandon her chemistry set and talk real science!"

An android? He vaguely remembered that Grouse had mentioned something about a bounty on an android. He'd dismissed it but had kept the holo-tape, if this Zimmer had stooped low enough to hire slavers to look for it, then he'd find it first.

"You there, knuckle ragger!" Zimmer addressed him. "You looking to make some profit for some work?"

"Not really. I'm just here to talk to Dr. Li." Pegasus said.

"Pah! Like some dirty drifter would have the chance to speak with her before she speaks to a fellow scientist like my- '

"Dr. Li will see you now. "Harkness addressed Pegasus.

Pegasus smiled at Zimmer's look of outrage. Harkness took him over to where one woman stood alone, here dark hair was tied into a high bun, she looked at him with tired eyes and smiled, her crow's feet only made her smile seem sad.

"Well it's been a very long time." Dr. Li said in a gentle tone. "All of you leave us." The gentleness carried behind it a steel that would've made the Overseer shiver.

"Well come here, let me take a look at you." Li said waving him over when they were alone. Confused, he got close and she put her hand on his face, turning his head and looking him over. "You have your fathers' eyes, and your mothers disposition to grey. You have grown since the last time I've seen you little Al."

'How do you know my name?" He asked stepping back cautiously. Dr. Li scoffed.

"I Delivered you." Dr. Li haughtily answered. "Knew both your parents when we worked on Project Purity together. I remember them constantly arguing over what to name you if you were a boy or a girl? Girl it was Eliza, Lindsey insisted that you be a Jr, but your mom did not want that to be your name."

"Even in the Vault he insisted going by James instead." Pegasus said. Dr. Li's eyes narrowed at his words.

She went over to a table where a pear was and took up a knife. "I've heard that you didn't like the name 'Albert', so you took a new name, 'Pegasus' right?" She slammed the knife through the pear with enough force to shake the table. "Heard that the _Pegasus_ came out of a _Vault_ and has been going around fighting raiders, rescuing Brotherhood members from super mutants, traveling with ghouls and whores and robots oh my!" She stabbed the knife into the table and glared at him with distain. "Everything your father sacrificed!" she looked at the slice pear and slammed that into the table. "He left _everything_ behind so you wouldn't do this, and you fuck it up just like he did! Oh you are his son!"

She screamed in rage, picked up a carrot and smashing it in her hands. "Everything we worked for he sacrificed for you, and you piss it away, just like he did!"

"I don't know what you're talking about Dr. Li! Dad never told me about the outside world or anything that he did." Pegasus said earnestly. 'I didn't even know we came from outside of the Vault until I was forced out at gunpoint."

"What?" she seemed to cool down a little at his words. He explained how he was forced out of 101 when his dad left. "So maybe you not like your dad after all? Sound more like your mother than anything. She was always stubborn."

"I don't even know why my dad left. Since I've found out I'm from the outside, I've been wondering why I was even in 101 in the first place. I thought the only person who could answer my questions was my dad, but maybe you can help clarify some things for me Dr. Li?"

"Please just call me Li or Madison." She said sitting down in a chair. Telling him to take one to. "So he never told you about us, or your mother, or even Project Purity?"

Pegasus shook his head.

"Wow. He really wanted to keep you in the dark about everything." Li sighed. "Alright; about twenty years ago I knew your parents, we were young idealist scientist types that thought we could change the world, your mother especially. She was the one to envision the waters of life flowing through the Capital Wasteland, and started Project Purity: cleaning the entire Potomac river of radiation and hazardous chemicals."

"But you have the ability to clean the water right now and even grow clean food, why try and purify the entire river?" Pegasus asked confusingly.

"That's what Horace said, the old head of the council." Madison said. "Like him you're not seeing the big picture: this wouldn't just make it's we could grow enough food to get by. We're talking about clean water throughout the entire Wasteland. The water would be purified here, and as the purified water continued to flow, displacing the radioactive water, starting a chain reaction that within several decades could cleanse the entire east coast water supply of contaminants and radioactive particles."

"w\Which would allow crops to be grown, trees to be replanted…" Pegasus was starting to see the big picture. The image of the forest in Anchorage filled his head and the thought of that very forest transplanted into the Capital Wasteland. The rolling seas of dirt and ruins could be replaced with endless green forest. The luxury of Tenpenny tower would become a common sight, not only here but throughout the entire east coast of America. "I see." Pegasus could truly see the vision of Project Purity. "I will give unto thee that is athirst of the fountains of the waters of life. Freely."

"Revelation 2:16, your mothers favorite passage." Madison said.

"Dad always had that passage framed up and on his desk at the Vault. I never understood why until…What happened?"

" _You_ happened." Madison said. "Your mother died during complications of the birth, and without your mother, with you to worry about, and with the constant super mutant attack, I guess the pressure just got to him because suddenly he just whooshed and vanished on me. Had to get the answers from Cross where the hell he went."

Her tone dripped into venomous contempt at the mention of the name Cross. Didn't Moriarty say that his dad came in with a paladin at his side? "Was Cross a member of the Brotherhood of Steel?"

"Don't mention those assholes in front of me!" Madison snapped. "Those bastards first tried to muscle there way into the Project and take control of it from us! When they discovered they're heads were too far up their asses to work the Project for themselves, they made an agreement with us; we'd get it working and they'd protect us. After a few years and them losing patience, the final straw was when your dad left, they split and the Project was abandoned."

"Is that what my dad wanted from you, an update on Project Purity?"

Madison laughed. "No. He wanted to start it again! He comes waltzing in here just over three weeks ago an acts as though the last twenty years hadn't passed! Wanting me to abandon everything that I've worked so hard to build here, and take my science teams and go back to chasing that pipe dream!"

Madison shook her head. "I told him that the Project was impossible, it wasn't like I had just given up when he left. I looked into the project, spent years afterwards trying to find out what went wrong. The only thing that I could find out was not enough power and we couldn't get rid of the radiation fast enough. Nothing we could've done could change that." Madison rubbed her temples. "I told him that I wouldn't support him, he just ran right back to the Project to try and get it running by himself."

"So he's at Project Purity? Where is it?" Pegasus asked eagerly.

"At the Jefferson Memorial." Madison answered. "You can't miss It; it's the one with all the pipes coming out of it. You can even see that miserable failure from the top of the bridge tower." Madison got up, she looked more tired than the beginning. "Albert, I'm sorry you lost your home like you did. And I'm sorry I snapped at you. I hope your dad can clear up a lot of what I couldn't." Madison looked as though the next words out of her mouth were causing her discomfort. "Tell him I said good luck."

"I will Dr. Li. But can you do me one favor? Don't call me Albert. As of right now I'm Pegasus, and that name is getting kind of infamous. I need it to stay that way for a while."

"What don't want to be known as Albert the Great? You prefer the 'mighty steed Pegasus'?' Madison smiled. "I listen to GNR. Alright Pegasus, if that's what you want to be called, I'll call you that. Now go find that fool of a father of yours and make sure he's not becoming Icarus."


	31. Chapter 31 The Beginning

So close, he was so close now!

"Boss you shouldn't rush in like this. who knows what could be inside of this Project Purity?" Charon said as they hurried there way to the Jefferson Memorial.

"My dad, that's what inside!" Pegasus countered hurrying.

" _COMMANDER DETECTING SEVERAL CHINESE BIOWEAPONS AHEAD."_ RL-3 shouted. " _THE REDS SEEM TO BE ATTEMPTING TO HIJACK THE CIVILIANS' SCIENCE PROJECT!"_

A wave of fear coursed through him at RL-3 words. If the super mutants had taken up residents in the Jefferson memorial, they may have taken his dad to wherever they took their captives.

"No!" He shouted. Running towards the memorial. Madison was right, it was impossible to not see. The large water tubes came out of the side and large metal walkways, rusted and corroded with years of neglect surrounded the memorial. A super mutant patrolled the top of it. it shouted something and ran to meet him with a large pipe in its hand.

"Get out of my way!" He shouted firing at the mutant approached. Hitting it four times in rage and fear.

"Lover!" Clover shouted trying to keep up with him.

Pegass didn't care at the moment. So worried about his dad that he barely registered the two mutants outside waiting at the entrance, hardly noticed them drop and the echoing of sniper fire. Going through the door labeled gift shop, hearing the sounds of automatic fire and mutants screaming.

Running down the corridor he nearly got shot by the auto turret in the ceiling walls of the welcoming hall, and the super mutant that was trying to take it down. the turret had killed several, but two more still remained and they saw a human. Rushing him, Pegasus fired a round into ones' chest before it grabbed the gun and threw him down the hall. Rolling to a stop the mutants closed in, his rifle in their hands. Firing his submachine gun in burst, even a large amount of 10mm bullets at once didn't phase them.

Shotguns blasts and streaks of green plasma came from behind them. Charon and Rl-3 flanked the mutants, firing as they made their approach. Turning their attention towards their new assailants the mutants tried to strike at them, but for every step they took they took one plasma shot or a shotgun shell, until finally bleeding out from their wounds and burning from the plasma they died.

Then the auto turrets tried to shoot them. "Boss we have a serious problem here!" Charon shouted.

His dad might have made them shoot anyone that tried to come in, or he'd set them only to shoot specific targets, such as the super mutants.

"What the hell's wrong with you just rushing in here like that! I thought you were smarter than that!" Clover said walking passed the welcoming hall. The turrets didn't shoot her.

"Charon, Rl-3, stay there.' Pegasus guessed the turrets didn't count them as humans. Finding that the turrets had managed to take out three mutants, a terminal was located on the desk of the gift shop turning off the turrets to let his friends pass.

"So think your old man is here? Shouldn't he be trying to check up on all this gunfire?" Clover asked.

"More than likely he'd be waiting several minute to make sure that his enemies have left." Charon said handing Pegasus back his rifle. "The enemy could be trying to lull him into a false sense of security."

"When the hell have super mutants shown anything resembling an ambush? They're too stupid to do anything other than attack!" Pegasus snapped. He didn't want to argue or talk. His dad was here and no number of super mutants were going to stop him.

"Boss you need to calm down or you're going to make more tactical mistakes." Charon said. "If I and your metal unit hadn't come in, you'd be dead or captured."

An anguish cry erupted from Pegasus. He wanted to rage and scream even more, but the logical part, the part that had been training ever since he was ten, told him that Charon was right. He could've died and he needed to calm down and think.

Breathing slowly. He saw that the gift shop led to two doors; one said to Rotunda, the other to the maintenance tunnels. If he was going to spend a large amount of time here, he'd make his home in the tunnels.

"We're going down into maintenance." He said finally reloading his rifle, luckily the mutants hadn't broken it. "RL-3 you detect anything?"

" _SCANNING: THERE ARE NO KNOWN TREATS IN THE VICINITY AT THIS TIME."_ Rl-3 said. _"THOUGH I HAVE LOGGED YOU IN FOR PSYCHOLOGICAL EVALUATION THE NEXT TIME WE REPORT TO BASE."_

"there are no bases anymore RL-3! Just the destroyed Capital Wasteland! You've been fighting for a government 200 years dead! And right now the only thing that's going to help with my psyche is a talk with my dad!" Pegasus rage came back. calming down at the eve of revelation was not easy.

The maintenance tunnels were dark in most areas; emergency lights had been set up in certain corridors. Following them to an open room with a clean bed and the smell of scotch and 101 aftershave. Next to the bed was a bucket of dirty water, a small table held a mirror and his dad's straight edge next to an old holo-recorder.

"No." He whispered at the empty bed. It was cold to the touch, as though nobody had slept in it for days, even weeks. The water was cold and the razor looked to be forming small amounts of rust on the edges. His dad would never had let that happen, the only explanation was that he wasn't here.

He shakily hit the play button. Every lead had taken him to this point, now he had nothing left to go on except whatever his dad had left him.

 _Well, here we are again. Project Purity and me. It's been close to twenty years since my last entry. Since I left all of this behind to make a life for my son. We've spent that time in Vault 101, tucked away from the rest of the world. It wasn't perfect, but it was safe, and that's all I could have hoped for. Now, my son is a grown man. Handsome, intelligent, confident. Just like his old man. Hmph. And as hard as it was to admit it, he doesn't need his daddy anymore._

"You're wrong dad. I do need you. Need you to tell me the hell's going on!" Pegasus shouted. If his dad was working on Project Purity again. If his dad really did leave the Vault to save the world as Three Dog said he was, why the hell didn't he ask for his son to join him! He would've joined his dad in this Project in a second. Hell Amata would've helped them! If his dad would've just told him what he was planning on doing, he would've let his dad in on Amata's and his plan!

Frantically he started tearing apart the room. looking for anymore holo tapes, finding several older ones.

 _We're back at work after a full week of delays. The Brotherhood Soldiers were able to repair the sentry guns, much to my relief. I know Madison isn't comfortable having them here, but there's no denying that we'd be lost without them. We're still waiting on the full analysis of the last three small-scale purification tests.  
Catherine hasn't been feeling well, and it's slowing down our research. I don't mind, but I can tell it's bothering some of the others._

The name of his mother helped calm him down. This one must've been recorded before the projects hiatus. Charon and Clover looked at him and the mess he'd made tearing the room apart. "Don't just stand there! Help me find something, anything that points where my dad went!"

Charon shrugged and Rl-3 followed him, while Clover looked strangely at him, she'd never seem him so frantic before. Dogmeat whimpered and cowered next to the bed. When they left he continued searching the room, finding .32 rounds in a dresser drawer along with another recording.

 _Well, there's no more mystery behind Catherine's health problems. The news of her pregnancy has lifted the spirits of everyone here, and given us a renewed interest in making the purifier work. We now have a future generation to provide for.  
The latest tests show that our methods are horribly inefficient, but I think we're on the right track.  
Catherine refuses to rest; she insists on spending all day in the lab. I've never seen her more driven. She's determined to resolve the power problems before the baby is born. I've tried to reason with her, but it's no use._

If stubbornness was genetic, then he was his mother's son. Punching the pillow, he hit something hard. Shaking the pain out of his hand helped calm him down. Being more cautious in case he broke glass, he pulled out an old picture frame with two people. One of which he had no problems recognizing as a younger version of his dad. He had a thicker beard and his eyes shown with a wild happiness that he'd only seen a few times when he was growing up. His arms were wrapped around a young black woman, shorter than he was with stark white hair smiling happily for the camera. Both were wearing lab coats and in the back was the Jefferson memorial, as though this picture had been taken recently. Flipping it over were written in his dads' familiar scrawl and handwriting he'd never seen: James and Catharine.

His anger faded away, tears swelled up in his eyes. For the first time in his life, he looked upon his mother's face. Another holo recording was also underneath the pillow. He played it, looking at the image of his mother. Her hair was the same as his, and he definitely inherited her cheeks bones, her dark skin also helped explain his own copper complexion. Finding himself glad he wasn't as pale as his dad in this photo.

 _...That batch of tests was inconclusive, but Madison and I are convinced it's a problem with the secondary filtration system._ He knew that clear gentle tone was his moms, slightly hating that all he had to hear her voice was simply technical data, but it was enough to know that she'd once lived. _We're going to re-calibrate the equipment and try again tomorrow, so that... James, please, I'm trying to work. Now's not the time..._ Though he really didn't need to hear his dad apparently trying to seduce her. _So that's the next step. Assuming we get the results we need, we'll move on to... James! Stop! I need to finish these notes..._ Oh my god, it was tempting to hit the off button, but maybe his dad did stop? _We'll move on to diagnosing the issues with the radiation dampeners. That should... Ow! James! Now? We really shouldn't... Ha ha ha ha ha!_ The recording thankfully ended there.

"Wow, I am my dad's son." Pegasus said aloud. He'd pulled the same kind of thing to Amata back when they were seventeen. Though thankfully it didn't result in a kid. The thought that he could've heard his own conception had him shiver in disgust. "The only recording I have of my mom's voice, and it's when you seduced her. Thanks dad!"

He pocketed the photo, the recording his dad could keep.

"Boss! We found something down here." Charon called.

Feeling much calmer and even happier, though a little disturbed. Coming down to a room that looked like it had once been a medical station. An old T.V had been hooked together to a video recorder. Hitting play, he saw the image of Maddison standing over his mother, his dad holding her hand and resting his other on her forehead. She screamed in pain and the sounds of a baby echoed in the room.

"A son. We have a son Catherine!" His dad cheered happily.

Oh…oh James…we did it…a son… our beautiful son." His mom sounded so weak, a stark contrast to the crisp tone in the other recording.

Maddison wiped the baby clean and handed their child to his parents. "He's very strapping!" His mother laughed.

"Hey there little guy. I'm your daddy! Daddy!" James said over the cries of the baby. "We've been thinking of a name for you; and we've come up with Albert. Does that sound good to you?"

"It's better than Lindsey Jr." His mother joked, lying back. The baby cooed as if in agreement.

His dad laughed it off. "Well glad you like it." His dad said over the sounds of rapid beeping. "You've got a bright world ahead of you son. And if we get this working- "

"James! Somethings- "Catherine started breathing hard and the heart monitors beeped faster and faster.

"Get the baby out of here!" Madison shouted and the screen went static.

Pegasus stood numbingly in place, looking at the room. Nearly twenty years ago, he'd been born right here inside the dreams of both his parents. It was here that when he was given life and the dream died along with his mother.

"It's not dead yet." He whispered aloud. Project Purity was simply sleeping. His dad was trying to get it to wake up again.

" _COMMANDER I DO BELIEVE THAT WOMEN DIED IN THE BIRTHING PROCESS OF THAT CHILD."_ RL-3 interrupted.

"That's not what I- never mind." He really didn't want to argue with a robot. If there was nothing down here than there was only one other place to go to. The rotunda.

" _COMMANDER SEVERAL HUMANS ARE PATROLLING THE UPPER LEVELS WHERE WE CAME IN."_ RL-3 warned.

Perhaps Madison had changed her mind? Still no reason to be reckless again, he already done that enough for the day. Going back up quietly, peeking towards the corridor where they had first come in to see the black armor of three Talon Company mercenaries.

"There he is!" One shouted firing a combat shotgun, shattering the walls.

"We got company!" Pegasus shouted. Hurrying to the auto turret defenses and restarting them. The turrets started to turn towards Charon and he shut them off. they were going to have to fight. Unless.

"Burke's dead! There's nobody to pay your bounty anymore!" Pegasus shouted.

"Who said this had anything to do with Burke?" was the reply. "You think Burke was the only one who'd put a price on your pretty little head Pegasus? Hope that bitch is with you, she's worth her weight in caps!"

" _COMMANDER WHO ARE THESE PEOPLE?"_ RL-3 asked.

"Mercenaries hired by China." Pegasus lied.

" _SOLDIERS OF FORTUNE! I HOPE YOU HAVE ENOUGH TO PAY CHARON TO CROSS THE STYX!"_ RL-3 taunted.

"What about me?" Charon asked.

Charon Later!" Pegasus shouted. Clover was already at the corner, she fired Xuanlong and received fire in return.

"So do we take them alive or dead?" He heard them ask.

"They're going to fight, so dead. Bounties a bounty."

They readied to fight the Talons as they came into the gift room. Except they didn't, instead they threw in a grenade that bellowed smoke that burned their eyes and made their skin itch.

"Tear gas!" Charon shouted. "Fall back!"

"You ain't going nowhere freak!" a Talon shouted firing his shotgun. A bolt of plasma hit him in the chest.

" _GAS DOESN'T WORK ON THE AMERICAN WAR MACHINE!"_ RL-3 shouted. " _OFFICERS DON'T BE PANSIES! TAKE A SHOT OF VITAMIN M AND TOUGH IT OUT!"_

"Quickly to the rotunda!" Charon said.

Though hard to see, they both followed the green blurs that RL-3 kept firing. His aim seemed to have taken yet another dive. Coughing when they hit the clean air of the rotunda. His eyes were watering so badly that he barely could see anything.

"Clover how are you?" Pegasus managed to say through coughing.

Clover replied with a coughing fit of her own.

Charon ripped his submachine gun away from him and fired. "This way." Charon guided them up the ramp and behind clear glass.

Two Talons came in firing, Charon and RL-3 returned fire from up the ramp. one of the talons saw Pegasus and tried to shoot him. even behind the tears he could see the glass stop the bullets. He looked shocked before a plasma bolt took off his head.

The other Talon had recovered and came in firing, his armor was melted but had protected him. the barking of Dogmeat and the gurgled screams as Dogmeat tore out the other Talons throat caused him to lose his concentration and Charon took out the last one.

Several minutes passed his eyes finally stopped stinging, but they were still very teary. Dogmeat came panting up to him and he felt the blood on her lips.

"Boss you better see this." Charon said coming back from checking the dead talons.

"I can't see shit at the moment! Can you read it aloud?"

" _the holier-than-thou-white-knight who goes by the name Pegasus has aroused my displeasure. 1500 caps for his body, 2000 alive so I can teach him some manners first. A bonus 200 for the corpse of the blonde woman clover known to be in his company, 500 for returning my property alive. and the gratitude of the most powerful man in the wasteland. Eulogy Jones."_

Wonderful, his bounty had gone up in the world, and he didn't think he'd be able to take out Eulogy like he did Burke, yet. He wondered how many other bounty hunters he'd have to be dealing with from now on?

"Is there anything we can do to get rid of this damn itch?" Clover pleaded rubbing her eyes.

"Don't rub, it'll make it worse. If you have any vinegar it would counteract the tear gas." Charon said. "We're surrounded by water; you can rub your face in it until it goes away."

Following Charon instructions, they soaked there face until finally the burning went away and both their faces looked red and swollen.

"Boss. there's more holo-tapes in here along with a recorder." Charon said.

Blinking out the tears he finally got a good look at the rotunda. A giant glass circle filled with water, the bulletproof glass protected the computer systems that wouldn't look out of place at as a Vault mainframe. This was the center of Project Purity; Madison had left all this equipment sitting here for twenty years. She may have lost hope, yet she didn't have the heart to take all this equipment for Rivet City.

These were the final recordings that he had, if his dad didn't leave anything for him on these then he as lost. His dad had marked these ones in numerical order played the first one.

 _Even in Vault 101, my work on Project Purity never really stopped. Soon after we arrived, my nightly routine included sneaking into the restricted areas. Searching for, I don't know, whatever I could find. It was a Vault-Tec facility after all. The place was built with some of the most advanced technology this country had ever developed. Those excursions never turned up anything particularly useful. So one night, after half a bottle of scotch, I broke into the Overseer's office. It was easy enough to hack his console, gain access to the restricted files. Most of it was garbage: propaganda, spy reports, just plain rambling bullshit, really. But there was one thing, one name that stood out amongst all the others... Dr. Stanislaus Braun. I knew of Braun's work, of course. He was a celebrity in his day. Vault-Tec's sorcerer-scientist, leaving his peers in awe of his technological wizardry. But it was in Vault 101 that night in the Overseer's office, that I first learned of Braun's involvement in Vault-Tec's social preservation program, and his work on something called GECK, Garden of Eden Creation Kit._

Braun? GECK? Pegasus vaguely remembered reading those terms back when he was scouring through the Overseers' journals, he and his dad agreed on the Overseer's bullshit. And all this time he told him to behave himself when he himself had a problem with the Overseer! Playing the final one.

 _To be honest, the GECK sounded like pure fantasy, even for someone of Braun's capabilities. It was nothing short of a miracle. A terra-forming module, capable of producing life from complete lifelessness. But not only was this thing a reality, it was actually distributed to several vaults to be used after an atomic war. Vault 101 was, sadly, not on that list. I did some digging and discovered Braun's name on the reservation list for a Vault 112. I'm no slouch, but this man, he could have easily succeeded where I failed. Does his collected knowledge remain within the halls of Vault 112? Journals, holotapes, computer records, maybe even experiments? If I could gain access to just a fraction of Braun's genius, Project Purity would become a reality. I'm not sure where vault 112 exactly is, all I know that it's somewhere in the Columbia Commonwealth. Even if I have to scour the entire east coast of America I'll find it, I have to. It's so close, but that's the story of Project Purity isn't it? The eternal story of "almost there's". Let's see if Braun is the missing puzzle piece._

"Sounds almost like trying to find you dad." Pegasus mumbled. Still that his dad was alive, and that he was going into a Vault lifted a lot of worry in his heart. For whatever faults the vaults had, they were at least safe from the outside.

"I take it we're not done trying to find your dad yet Lover?" Clover asked.

"Not yet." Now there was even more at stake than just the answers he was looking for. His dad and mom had tried to save the world, now he was going to be joining his parents in this family project. All the good that he'd done on the outside, the stories Three Dog told of his heroism to inspire the Good Fight. All of that meant nothing in the wake of Project Purity now. He may be able to save the day; Project Purity could very well save the future for the entire human race.

"We're going vault hunting for vault 112." Pegasus said with conviction. Let Eulogy send as many hit squads as he wanted, let him come after them himself. Like his parents, nothing but death was going to stop him, and Eulogy might find the price he paid for that far too high.


End file.
